Continental Drift Theory: Formation of Giant Continents
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Questions and Answers

What type of fault is the Philippine Fault an example of?

  • Normal Fault
  • Dip-Slip Fault
  • Strike-Slip Fault (correct)
  • Reverse Fault
  • What happens to a material when it reaches its yield point?

  • Elastic deformation is surpassed and strain becomes permanent (correct)
  • It becomes stronger and more rigid
  • It breaks and fractures
  • It returns to its original shape
  • What is the process called when rocks/minerals change into another mineral as a response to heat, pressure, and chemically active fluids?

  • Weathering
  • Metamorphism (correct)
  • Plate Tectonics
  • Continental Drift
  • What is the gradual movement of the continents over time called?

    <p>Continental Drift</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the upper layer of the crust being broken down into plates?

    <p>Lithosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the movement of the plates in Plate Tectonics?

    <p>The movement of the molten rock beneath the plates</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of a material undergoing ductile deformation?

    <p>It changes shape and cannot return to its original shape</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the German meteorologist who developed the Continental Drift Theory?

    <p>Alfred Wegener</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the supergiant land mass that Wegener theorized was once interconnected?

    <p>Pangaea</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process of fragmentation and drifting that continued until the continents eventually reached their current position?

    <p>Continental drift</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the cause of foliation in metamorphic rocks?

    <p>Repetitive layering of sheet-like minerals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the two giant continents that were formed initially after Pangaea began to separate?

    <p>Laurasia and Gondwanaland</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of foliated metamorphic rocks?

    <p>They show a layered or banded appearance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the process by which the continents are always moving and overlapping?

    <p>Plate tectonics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the four common types of foliated metamorphic rocks?

    <p>Slate, Phyllite, Schists, and Gneiss</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How long ago did Pangaea begin to separate?

    <p>Between 275 and 175 million years ago</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the reason for the formation of light and dark layers alternating with each other in gneiss?

    <p>Segregation of light-colored minerals from dark ones</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of metamorphism does not show foliation?

    <p>Contact metamorphism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the body of water proposed by Eduard Suess?

    <p>Tethys Sea</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the reason why Wegener's theory was not widely accepted by the scientific community?

    <p>It did not offer an acceptable hypothesis explaining the movement of the continents</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a non-foliated metamorphic rock?

    <p>Marble</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of regional metamorphism on a large scale?

    <p>Development of foliation or layered texture</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who is the scientist who proposed the existence of Gondwanaland?

    <p>Eduard Suess</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process by which rocks are changed by heat and pressure?

    <p>Metamorphism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Continental Drift Theory

    • Alfred Wegener's theory propose that all continents were once interconnected from a supergiant land mass, called Pangaea.
    • Pangaea broke apart and each land mass drifted away from each other in different locations between 275 and 175 million years ago.

    Formation of Giant Continents

    • Two giant continents were formed: Laurasia (northern continents) and Gondwanaland (southern hemisphere continents).
    • The slow process of fragmentation and drifting continued until the continents eventually reached their current position.

    Foliated Metamorphic Rocks

    • Foliation is caused by repetitive layering of sheet silicates, such as clay minerals, mica, and chlorite.
    • Common foliated metamorphic rocks are slate, phyllite, schists, and gneiss.
    • Gneiss has a striking foliation, with light-colored minerals segregating from dark ones, forming light and dark layers.

    Non-Foliated Metamorphic Rocks

    • Examples of non-foliated metamorphic rocks are marble and quartzite.
    • They do not exhibit foliation because they are made of minerals that are neither platy nor elongated.

    Types of Metamorphism

    • Contact metamorphism occurs when an intrusion of hot, molten magma changes the rock when it comes in contact.
    • Regional metamorphism occurs when large scale movements of Earth's crust cause a vast region of rock to sink into the Earth, experiencing increased heat and pressure.

    Deformation

    • Ductile deformation occurs when enough stress is applied to the material, causing changes in shape and no longer being able to return to its original shape.
    • Yield point is the point at which elastic deformation is surpassed and strain becomes permanent.
    • Brittle deformation occurs when materials respond to stress by breaking and fracturing.

    Plate Tectonics

    • In 1912, Alfred Wegener developed the Continental Drift Theory, explaining how continents shift position on Earth's surface.
    • The upper layer of the crust is broken down into plates, which sit on a molten rock.
    • The movement of this lower molten layer causes the plates to shift.

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    Description

    Learn about Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift, proposing that all continents were once connected in a supercontinent called Pangaea. Discover how Pangaea broke apart and formed Laurasia and Gondwanaland.

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