What do you understand by the theory of continental drift upsc?
Answers
Being a Geologist, I’ve studied continental drift. It is basically a theory that states that all continents were once together as a single landmass surrounded by a single ocean, which later split and separated forming the present day continents.
This theory is supported by Geographic evidences (the coast lines of adjoining continents matching like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle), fossil evidences (fossils indicating the presence of similar plants and animals on adjoining continents), paleo-magnetic evidences (the magnetism of rocks indicating the displacement of location over time), Geological evidences (similar strata on adjoining continents) etc. In spite of all these evidences, this theory was not accepted.
But scientists all over the world dismissed the idea claiming that a solid landmass can not be translated from one place to another. During that time, many were of the opinion that the Earth is completely solid like an apple with deep rooted continents separated by shallow oceans.
The plate tectonics theory changed the perception of all, proving that the surface landmass is floating over a fluid layer. This supported continental drift theory and lead to more in-depth study and several other theories in the fields of Earth sciences and Life sciences.
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