What theory includes the hypothesis that states that continents once formed single landmass that broke up and drifted to present day locations?
1 Answer
Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
Explanation:
Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics are both the same theory. Plate Tectonics is the modern form of Continental Drift. Alfred Wegener postulated that all of the continents were once together in one super continent called Pangea . ( meaning all land) .
Wegener looking at evidence surmised that the Continents had been locked together in the past and had been split apart by forces that he did not understand. The evidence was good but went against the prevailing theories of uniformatarism , geosyncline theory, and the evolutionary timeline of the fossil record. Wegener from the evidence surmised that the break up the continents had been relatively sudden and catastrophic.
50 years later the theory of Continental Drift was revived and renamed Plate Tectonics. The theory was modified to agree with the slow movements required by uniformatarism and the time line of both the fossil record and plate movement were revised to agree.
The geosyncline theory was discorded.
Pangea the theory that all the continents were together was part of both the theory Continental Drift, and Plate Tectonics.
