What is continental drift and how does it work?
The land on Earth is constantly moving. Over millions of years, the continents broke apart from a single landmass called Pangea and moved to their present positions.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Looking at a map of the world, it appears that the eastern edge of South America and the western edge of Africa could fit together like interlocking puzzle pieces. Scientists think that is because they were once connected.
In 1912 a scientist named Alfred Wegener introduced the idea of continental drift. He said that all of the land on Earth had once formed a single supercontinent that he called Pangea, which means "all lands." Over millions of years Pangea broke into several fragments, which began to move away from each other. The fragments became the continents, which slowly drifted to their current positions on Earth's surface.
Wegener supported his idea by showing similarities between the continents. South America and Africa contain fossils of animals found only on those two continents, in areas that match up across the ocean. One of these animals—an ancient freshwater reptile named Mesosaurus—could not have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, Wegener proposed that the animal lived within the rivers and lakes of a single large landmass that later broke apart.
Ancient rocks on the Brazilian coast also match those found in West Africa.
But how would such large landmasses move?
The theory of plate tectonics argues that Earth's outer layer—the crust—is composed of large platelike sections of solid rock. These plates essentially float on weaker layers of partially melted rock in the mantle below.
Scientists believe that convection circulation within the mantle helps continents to move. As heat from Earth's innermost layer—the core—transfers to the bottom layer of mantle rock, the rock warms, softens, and rises upward. This pushes cooler rock downward. The cycle repeats, creating convection currents. This churning motion in the mantle appears to be a major factor in plate movement. The plates—and thus the continents—are still moving today, at an average rate of less than five inches per year.
In 1912 a scientist named Alfred Wegener introduced the idea of continental drift. He said that all of the land on Earth had once formed a single supercontinent that he called Pangea, which means "all lands." Over millions of years Pangea broke into several fragments, which began to move away from each other. The fragments became the continents, which slowly drifted to their current positions on Earth's surface.
Wegener supported his idea by showing similarities between the continents. South America and Africa contain fossils of animals found only on those two continents, in areas that match up across the ocean. One of these animals—an ancient freshwater reptile named Mesosaurus—could not have crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, Wegener proposed that the animal lived within the rivers and lakes of a single large landmass that later broke apart.
Ancient rocks on the Brazilian coast also match those found in West Africa.
But how would such large landmasses move?
The theory of plate tectonics argues that Earth's outer layer—the crust—is composed of large platelike sections of solid rock. These plates essentially float on weaker layers of partially melted rock in the mantle below.
Scientists believe that convection circulation within the mantle helps continents to move. As heat from Earth's innermost layer—the core—transfers to the bottom layer of mantle rock, the rock warms, softens, and rises upward. This pushes cooler rock downward. The cycle repeats, creating convection currents. This churning motion in the mantle appears to be a major factor in plate movement. The plates—and thus the continents—are still moving today, at an average rate of less than five inches per year.