continental drift
Tectonic plate movement
Continental drift is the theory that Earth's continents have slowly moved across the planet's surface over geological time.
First proposed in the early twentieth century, the idea explained why coastlines of different continents seem to fit together like puzzle pieces and why similar fossils appear on widely separated landmasses.
Continental drift was initially dismissed but later confirmed and incorporated into the broader theory of plate tectonics.
Prehistoric unified landmass
- GondwanaAncient southern supercontinent
- TethysGreek sea titaness
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
- assemblyConstructing from components
dispersal · Columbia · landmass · paleogeography · amalgamation · fragmentation · reconfiguration
Earth's crust mobility theory
- paleomagnetismRemnant magnetism in rocks
- glacial striationsScratches carved by moving ice
- coal depositsUnderground accumulations of fossilized carbon
- isostasyGravitational balance of landmasses
scientific controversy · paradigm shift · geological history
Mobile crustal sections
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- asthenosphereDuctile upper mantle layer
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- mid-ocean ridgeSubmarine volcanic mountain range
Sudden ground movement
- volcanismSubterranean magma expulsion process
- mountain buildingGeological uplift process
- fault linesFractures between rock masses
- oceanic trenchDeepest seafloor depression
orogeny · rifting · seismic activity · volcanic arc · island chain · geological time · Mesozoic · Paleozoic
Layered geological deposits
- mountain chainsConnected series of peaks
- geological formationsNatural earth structures
- coal bedsSubterranean fuel strata
Pangaea
Prehistoric unified landmass
- GondwanaAncient southern supercontinent
- TethysGreek sea titaness
- breakupRomantic relationship's termination
assembly · dispersal · Columbia · landmass · paleogeography · amalgamation · fragmentation · reconfiguration
plate tectonics
Earth's crust mobility theory
- paleomagnetismRemnant magnetism in rocks
- glacial striationsScratches carved by moving ice
- coal depositsUnderground accumulations of fossilized carbon
isostasy · scientific controversy · paradigm shift · geological history
tectonic plates
Mobile crustal sections
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- asthenosphereDuctile upper mantle layer
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
mid-ocean ridge · convection currents · plate boundaries · hotspot
earthquakes
Sudden ground movement
- volcanismSubterranean magma expulsion process
- mountain buildingGeological uplift process
- fault linesFractures between rock masses
oceanic trench · orogeny · rifting · seismic activity · volcanic arc · island chain · geological time · Mesozoic · Paleozoic · Triassic
rock strata
Layered geological deposits
- mountain chainsConnected series of peaks
- geological formationsNatural earth structures
- coal bedsSubterranean fuel strata
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- geography topicsGIS, GPS, mapping, cartography, digital maps
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, rock, basalt
- Natural Processesphotosynthesis, decomposition, evaporation, erosion, carbon cycle
- scientific phrasesbig bang, black hole, natural selection, climate change, genetic code
- slow processesaging, evolution, erosion, weathering, sedimentation