What is the theory of plate tectonics and continental drift?
Definition. Plate tectonics is the theory in geology that describes the features and movement of Earth’s surface in the present and in the past. Continental drift, on the other hand, is a theory in geology that describes the drifting of Earth’s continents on the ocean bed.
How the continental drift theory and plate tectonics connect together?
Wegener suggested that perhaps the rotation of the Earth caused the continents to shift towards and apart from each other. (It doesn’t.) Today, we know that the continents rest on massive slabs of rock called tectonic plates. The plates are always moving and interacting in a process called plate tectonics.
Is plate tectonic theory and continental drift theory similarities?
Plate tectonics is Wegener theory of continental drift reworked. The force needed to move the continents is proposed to be convection currents in the mantle. Geologist have a much better understanding the structure of the earth, in terms of the crust, and mantle than was available in Wegener’s time.
What is the theory of plate tectonics?
The theory of plate tectonics states that the Earth’s solid outer crust, the lithosphere, is separated into plates that move over the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle. Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart, and interact at boundaries all over the planet.
How are continental drift and plate tectonics related quizlet?
Continental drift believes that the continents moved because the magnetism of the sea floor. Plate tectonics believes that the lithosphere & the asthenosphere of the continents caused them to move.
Are continental plates and tectonic plates the same?
In the Theory of Plate Tectonics, it is tectonic plates, rather than continents, which are moving. Tectonic plates are pieces of the lithosphere and crust, which float on the asthenosphere. There are currently seven plates that make up most of the continents and the Pacific Ocean.
What are the 3 theories of plate tectonics?
Three-dimensional diagram showing crustal generation and destruction according to the theory of plate tectonics; included are the three kinds of plate boundaries—divergent, convergent (or collision), and strike-slip (or transform).
Which of the following explains the key difference between continental drift and the theory of plate tectonics quizlet?
What are the differences between Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics? Continental drift believes that the continents moved because the magnetism of the sea floor. Plate tectonics believes that the lithosphere & the asthenosphere of the continents caused them to move.
What do tectonic plates consist of?
A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest.
What is the relationship between plate tectonics and seafloor spreading?
How seafood spreading works into plate tectonics is that where the plates meet their can either be convergent or divergent plates. Sea floor spreading is just another word for divergent plates. When plates diverge from each other, underneath the ocean, new sea floor is created.