The theory of continental drift has been around for quite a while. Yet many people do not fully understand the concept. Some believe that in one fell swoop the continents all separated instantaneously and for no apparent reason other than that they did it. Others believe it had something to do with the ice melting at the end of the Ice Age and what's more many believe it was the cause of global warming. Continental drift is a theory in which it is believed that the Earths continents are in motion constantly and therefore are not fixed. The mechanism of such great change is considered to be tectonic plates.
In this essay we will tackle not only the theory of continental drift as proposed by Alfred Wegner in the 1950's as well as tectonic plates and their involvement in said theory. Since we are approaching this theory from a scientific point of view we must first ask ourselves what evidence supports this idea. In the last part of the 20th century evidence has been discovered to include ocean floor landscape and rock form, topographic profiles of the ocean floor, magnetism of said rocks, and data on the rocks ages. When approaching rock ages from the ocean floor landscape and formation we see that some are younger than others dependent on height on floor as well as change in the floor itself.
[...] This entire mistake was made despite his use of the scientific method. While one may enter the cycle of the scientific method at any point it is best to enter at the starting point and follow through to the end. This process is set in five stages which include observation, identification of patterns and regularities, development of a theory, prediction and testing, data collection and conclusion. In the first stage of the process one observes a mechanism of the natural world to determine a pattern or question. [...]
[...] Continental drift and tectonic plates The theory of continental drift has been around for quite a while. Yet many people do not fully understand the concept. Some believe that in one fell swoop the continents all separated instantaneously and for no apparent reason other than that they did it. Others believe it had something to do with the ice melting at the end of the Ice Age and what's more many believe it was the cause of global warming. Continental drift is a theory in which it is believed that the Earths continents are in motion constantly and therefore are not fixed. [...]
[...] Finally data is collected on the completed tests and a conclusion is made based on this data. This method on a whole allows us to understand the natural work by showing the interactions and operations that occur on a day to day basis on our Earth as well as why these and other reactions occur. We are also able to see what does and doesn't maintain balance in the natural world we live in. By using this scientific method on Wegner's idea of continental drift we came upon the discovery of plate tectonics which is, theory that explains how a few thin, rigid tectonic plates of crustal and upper mantle materials are moved across Earth's surface by mantle convection”. [...]
[...] This occurs since the continental lines do not line up with the tectonic lines and thus these changes can occur anywhere on land, especially inland. In the end Wegner was right; the continents do move and at one point fit together. However, since Wegner's time new evidence has arisen to better explain this theory as well as define its mechanism for movement. This includes describing the great land forms of the world as well. These great discoveries were finalized using the scientific method which showed us that the continents are constantly in motion and may one day collide once again. [...]
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