The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Geography: KS3, topic 11.1.1
The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Theoretical frameworks try to explain plate movements. There have been a variety of theories and discoveries over recent times. For example:
Wegener’s continental drift
- Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis (1912) said that our now separate continents had once been joined together as supercontinents (e.g. Pangaea).
Seafloor spreading
- In the 1960s, there was a discovery of magnetic stripes in the oceanic crust of the seabed.
- Palaeomagnetic signals from past reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field prove that new crust is created by the process of seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges.
Slab pull
- At convergent boundaries, the high-density ocean floor is being dragged down by a downward gravitational force (slab pull) beneath the adjoining continental crust.
Test yourself on The Theory of Plate Tectonics
Which of the following is NOT a theory of plate tectonics?