A first theory of continental drift is proposed by German scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912. A theory is about how earth’s content change over time. The German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed theory based on how the way the continents fit together. In his theory, around 200 million years ago earth was one big continent called …show more content…
When these patterns mapped in large scale pattern shown zebra-like pattern showing one stripe with normal polarity and the another stripe with reversed polarity. The overall pattern became known as magnetic striping.
Then Vine, Matthews, and Morely put this information together and found out that new oceanic crust and lithosphere was created at the oceanic ridge by eruption and intrusion of magma. So of course next question arise. If lithosphere is continually being created at the oceanic ridges, the oceans should be expanding constantly. Benioff zones and the oceanic trenches provided the answer. Because oceanic lithosphere is cold and brittle, it fractures as it descends back into the mantle.
Plate tectonic is theory to explain movement of lithosphere on earth. Theory stated that earth is divided to 7 piece which is known as African, North American, South American, Eurasian, Australian, Antarctic and Pacific. Plates move different speed and different direction. Sometimes plates crushes it’s called convergent boundary. And when they pull apart it is called a divergent boundary. When the plates sideswipe, it is known as a transform boundary. Because of those movement volcanoes, earthquakes or both take place.