Theory created by the German meteorologist Alfred Wegener, in which he stated that approximately 200 million years ago there was a separation between the continents, that is, there was a single continental mass, called Pangea, and a single ocean, the Pantalassa.
After millions of years there was a fragmentation emerging two megacontinents called Laurasia and Godwana, and from there the continents were moving and adapting to the current configurations.
The crucial point for the development of the Continental Drift theory, which in essence means movement of continents, or even moving plates, is the realization that the Earth is not static. Then Wegener realized that the coast of Africa had a contour that fit the coast of South America.
Another vestige that reinforces the theory was the discovery of fossils of animals of the same species on different continents, as it would be impossible that these animals had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the only explanation is that in the past the two continents they met together.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FREITAS, Eduardo de. "Continental Drift"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/deriva-continental.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
a) it is the hypothesis that all continents are derived from a magmatic substrate that emerged through geological fissures or faults;
b) it is the classification system of the continents, according to their respective origins;
c) is the theory that all the continents, in the past, formed only one, Pangea, and that later it fragmented thanks to plate tectonics.
d) is the postulate of the economy that debates the financial dependence of the world's continents on Europe.
The composition of the Lithosphere by plate tectonics is related to the concept of tectonism and Wegener's theory of continental drift. One of the proofs of this dynamism of the crust is the existence:
a) of coastal deserts.
b) of the oceanic ridges.
d) the precession of the equinoxes.