Alfred Wegener S Continental Drift Sea Floor Spreading

Seafloor gets older with distance from mid ocean ridges divergent plate boundaries plates.

Alfred wegener s continental drift sea floor spreading.

The idea of sea floor spreading provides a way for the continents to move over the earth s surface. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics. Alfred wegener hypothesis stated that earth s continents were once joined as a single land mass. Tectonics theory combining sea floor spreading and wegener s continental drift proposed by w.

He said that the continents floated atop the mantle a heavier denser layer of rocks deep within the earth. The topography of the ocean floor demonstrated that mountain ranges on either side of the atlantic ocean were formerly joined. His expedition was the first one to ever over winter on the greenland ice sheet. Wegener and others 1915 proposed that the continents had once been together pangaea then split and drifted apart.

Similar to wegener s theory that continents do in fact move hess seafloor spreading contradicted wegener s continental drift in that it involved the ocean sea floor moving as it expanded instead of continents ploughing through the sea. Wegener predicted that heat rising within the hot mantle created currents of partially melted rocks that could move the continents around the earth s surface. Ages on both land and the sea floor scientists agreed that the magnetic patterns showed change over time. Continental drift wegener s hypothesis that earth s continents were once joined as a single land mass.

His idea came from 2 observations the continents seem to fit together like a puzzle fossils of animals found on coasts of different continents also aligned alfred wegener by bildarchiv preussischer kulturbesitz berlin bildid 10005753. For more info on the science and the story behind this battle click here. Earlier theories e g by alfred wegener of continental drift were that continents plowed through the sea. Seafloor spreading occurs at mid ocean ridges where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.

Jason morgan 70s discovery of mid ocean ridge volcanic vents oldest seafloor north pacific plate youngest seafloor mid ocean ridge why is oceanic crust relatively young compared to continental crust. Continental drift alfred wegener 1880 1930 was a polar researcher primarily a. In 1915 wegener proposed his continental drift theory. Sea floor spreading prevented a viable mechanism for moving the continents.

A controversial theory in a 1912 lecture german born meteorologist alfred wegener proposed the idea of continental drift.