-
Force of Plate Tectonics
Abraham Ortelius proposed Continental Drift was a theory that separated our known continents from a super continent done by plate tectonics. He reassured his hypothesis because their was a geometrical similarity between the coast of America and Europe-Africa. -
All the Continents Were Once a Supercontinent
Alfred Wegener found this idea based on similar characteristics of Climate, Fossil, and Rock clues researched on neighboring continents. -
The Earth's Mantle and Geo-chronology.
When Arthur Homes was conducting research on rock formations, he stumbled on a theory that stated the Earth's mantle contained convection cells that dissipated radioactive heat and moved the crust at the surface. He knew this because of Geo chronology, in which he conducted the first accurate uranium-lead radiometric dating. -
New Crust Materials
Robert S. Dietz and Harry Hess both worked together to find the reason behind where the new crust materials are formed (the reason why the Earth produces more land/material) So they searched near the coast and found that they formed at Oceanic Ridges, and spreads outward. This is because they actually have images of the seafloor spreading. -
Sea Floor Spreading
Harry Hess (along with Robert S. Dietz), found how the continents could actually drift, the Earth's crust moved laterally away from long volcanically active ocean ridges. -
Helped Contribute to the Seafloor Spread
Drummond Hoyle Matthews, discovered that the strips on the sides of ridges on the ocean floor, they were the after math of sea floor spreading, he knew this because of the branch in Paleomagnetism. -
Clues of Earths Magnetic Field from the Crust
Lawrence Morley conjured up the theory that the rocks on the ocean floor were imprinted with a record of the direction and intensity of the Earths magnetic field. He backed this up because ocean surveys showed alternating bands of normal and reverse magnetism in the oceans crust -
Gave more details for Sea Floor Spreading
Frederick J. Vine explained that the seafloor spreads from mid ocean ridges with a congruent pattern of magnetic reversal in the basalt rocks on either side. He proved this because blocks of ocean crust contain magnetic rocks, some of which are oriented along with other Earths present magnetic field, while others are opposite.
