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Describe the origin of the continents according to the continental drift theory

Describe the origin of the continents according to the continental drift theory

Answers

Agostine
Association with the Theory of Continental Drift to the Origin of the African
Continent
The Theory of Continental Drift was first put forward by a German Scientist
known as Alfred Wegener in 1912, 1924. (in Richard White, 1990). A. Wegener
expanded F.B. Taylor’s ideas, who had stated it in 1910, 1911. A. Wegener’s theory of
Continental Drift observes the way and how a number of continents could fit together.
According to this theory all the continents formed one supercontinent that was known as
Pangae

He noted and suggested that continents do move/or drift, across the Earth’s
surface and eventually these continents change their original positions.

In Richard White, 1990; it states that A. Wegener’s theory involved only the
continental crust, excluding the crust under the oceans.

Later, this theory advanced and now it includes the Earth surface wholly, where
the crustal both the rocks of the continents (Sial) and those of the oceans (Sima) are
included in the theory of Plate Tectonics.

In this association with the continent of Africa, A. Wegener cited an example,
saying that the African and South American coastlines standing at opposite sides across
the Atlantic Ocean appear to fit as if they were adjacent pieces of a jigsaw puzzle

This theory of Continental Drift has become one of the outstanding ideas about
the origin of Africa and other continents on the Earth’s surface, known as ‘Alfred
Wegener and the origin of an idea’ (Thompson, Turk, 1993).

This is the idea of movement of the lighter continents on the heavier, softer rocks
of the Earth’s Crust (A. Wegener, 1912, Taylo, F.B. 1910).

This idea (or theory) explains that the African Continent was a part of one huge
continent known as ‘Gondwanaland’.
The idea further stated that similar rock structures along the coastlines of Western
Africa and Eastern South America appear to fit off the Southern Continents that formed
Gondwanaland.

These continents that formed Gondwanaland to the South included:
(a) African (e) Madagscar
(b) Australia (f) Arabia
(c) South America (g) Antarctica
(d) India

The northern continents, forming one huge landmass that was known as Laurasia to the
north were:-
(a) North America
(b) Greenland
(c) Europe at times known as Eurasia
(d) Asia

Further suggested ideas were that there was similar geological sequence or rock strata in:

(a) The Karoo of South Africa
(b) The Decan Plateaux of India
(c) The Plateaux of South America
(d) The Antarctica

Also it has been observed that a number of small Folded Ranges in Argentina and
the Falk Islands seem to be similar in structure, age to the Folded Cape Range of South
Africa.

Glacial Striations on rock surfaces in South Africa indicated a suggestion to the
geologists that ice movement was actually not from the Antarctica zone but from some
large landmass once existed to the north –east in what presently is now being occupied by
the Indian Ocean Basin (Colin Burckle, 1979).

Comparing with other continents, having similar origin, Africa possesses once
similarities and contrasts.
Ekioo answered the question on April 16, 2018 at 21:53

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