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ContinentalDrift:
Anymajornewideainscienceappearstoleadinstantlytoasearchofthepastforthosewhomightoncehaveproposed
similarconceptsandwithwhomthecurrentproponentsshouldthereforesharethecredit.Inthecaseofplatetectonics,
theprimarycandidateisobvious:AlfredWegenerofGermany,whoexplicitlypresentedtheconceptofcontinental
driftforthefirsttimeattheoutsetofthe20thcentury.Thoughplatetectonicsisbynomeanssynonymouswith
continentaldrift,itencompassesthisideaandderivesmuchofitsimpactfromit.

In1858,geographerAntonioSniderPellegrinimadethesetwomapsshowinghisversionofhowtheAmericanand
Africancontinentsmayoncehavefittogether,thenlaterseparated.Left:Theformerlyjoinedcontinentsbeforetheir
separation.Right:Thecontinentsaftertheseparation.
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TheremighthavebeenpredecessorseventoWegener.TheoutlinesofthecontinentsborderingtheAtlanticOceanare
sosimilarthatmanyprobablynoticedthecorrespondence,andsomemighthavedrawntheconclusionthatthelandson
bothsideswereoncejoinedtogether.Theearliestreferencetothispeculiargeographicfeaturewasmadebythe
EnglishphilosopherFrancisBacon.InhisNovumOrganum(1620),Baconpointedoutthecorrespondencebutdidnot
gobeyondthat.SuchwasalsotheextentofthecontributionofthegreatFrenchnaturalistGeorgesLouisLeclerc,
CountduBuffon,acenturylater.NeithercanFranoisPagetqualifyasaforerunnerofcontinentaldrifttheorists:even
thoughhestatedin1666thatanundividedcontinentexistedbeforeNoah'sflood,heexplainedthecreationofthe
AtlanticOceanbyhavingpartofthatcontinentsinkintothesea.

AsnotedbySniderPellegriniandWegener,thelocationsofcertainfossilplantsandanimalsonpresentday,widely
separatedcontinentswouldformdefinitepatterns(shownbythebandsofcolors),ifthecontinentsarerejoined.
ThefirstcredibleproponentofcontinentaldriftwasAntonioSniderPellegrini,abelatedadvocateofcatastrophism
who,in1858,ascribedthebiblicalfloodtotheformerexistenceofasinglecontinentthatwastornaparttorestorethe
balanceofalopsidedEarth.MorerecentandmuchmoresophisticatedwastheworkoftheAmericangeologistFrank
Taylor,who,disdainingthethenprevailingcontractionmodelofmountainbuilding,postulatedin1908thatthearcuate
mountainbeltsofAsiaandEuroperesultedfromtheequatorwardcreepofthecontinents.Hisanalysisoftectonic
featuresforeshadowedinmanywaysmodernthoughtregardingplatecollisions,andheanticipatedWegener's
publicationsbyonlyafewyears.Curiously,however,hisworkinstantlysankintooblivion.
PlateTectonics:
PlatetectonicsisatheorydealingwiththedynamicsoftheEarth'soutershell,thelithosphere.Restingonabroad
synthesisofgeologicandgeophysicaldata,itdominatescurrentthinkingintheEarthsciences.Accordingtothetheory,
thelithosphereisbrokenintosevenlargeandmanysmallmovingplates.Theseplates,eachabout50milesthick,move
relativetooneanotheranaverageofafewinchesayear.Threetypesofmovementarerecognizedattheboundaries
betweenplates:convergent,divergentandtransformfault.
Atconvergentboundaries,platesmovetowardeachotherandcollide.Whereanoceanicplatecollideswitha
continentalplate,theoceanicplatetipsdownandslidesbeneaththecontinentalplateformingadeepoceantrench
(long,narrow,deepbasin.)Anexampleofthistypeofmovement,calledsubduction,occursattheboundarybetween
theoceanicNazcaPlateandthecontinentalSouthAmericanPlate.Wherecontinentalplatescollide,theyformmajor
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mountainsystemssuchastheHimalayas.

Atdivergentboundaries,platesmoveawayfromeachothersuchasattheMidAtlanticRidge.Whereplatesdiverge,
hot,moltenrockrisesandcoolsaddingnewmaterialtotheedgesoftheoceanicplates.Thisprocessisknownassea
floorspreading.
Attransformfaultboundaries,platesmovehorizontallypasteachother.TheSanAndreasFaultzoneisanexampleof
thistypeofboundarywherethePacificPlateonwhichLosAngelessitsismovingslowlynorthwestwardrelativetothe
NorthAmericanPlateonwhichSanFranciscosits.
Platetectonics,thebranchofsciencethatdealswiththeprocessbywhichrigidplatesaremovedacrosshotmolten
material,hashelpedtoexplainmuchinglobalscalegeologyincludingtheformationofmountains,andthedistribution
ofearthquakesandvolcanoes.

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Thetheoryofplatetectonics,formulatedduringthelate1960s,isnowalmostuniversallyacceptedandhashadamajor
impactonthedevelopmentoftheEarthsciences.Itsadoptionrepresentsatruescientificrevolution,analogousinits
consequencestotheRutherfordandBohratomicmodelsinphysicsorthediscoveryofthegeneticcodeinbiology.
Incorporatingthemucholderideaofcontinentaldrift,thetheoryofplatetectonicshasmadethestudyoftheEarth
moredifficultbydoingawaywiththenotionoffixedcontinents,butithasatthesametimeprovidedthemeansof
reconstructingthepastgeographyofcontinentsandoceans.Whileitsimpacthas,toaconsiderabledegree,runits
courseinmarinegeologyandshowssignsofreachingthelimitsofusefulnessinthestudyofmountainbuilding
processes,itsinfluenceonthescientificunderstandingoftheEarth'shistory,ofancientoceansandclimates,andofthe
evolutionoflifeisonlybeginningtobefelt.
ThediagramsbelowshowthebreakupofthesupercontinentPangaea(meaning"alllands"inGreek),whichfigured
prominentlyinthetheoryofcontinentaldrifttheforerunnertothetheoryofplatetectonics.

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ExcerptfromtheEncyclopediaBritannicawithoutpermission.

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