continental drift theory

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• Continental drift — This article is about the development of the continental drift hypothesis before 1958. For the contemporary theory, see plate tectonics. Antonio Snider Pellegrini s Illustration of the closed and opened Atlantic Ocean (1858). Continental drift is …   Wikipedia

• continental drift — 1925, a translation of Ger. Kontinentalverschiebung, proposed 1912 by German scientist Alfred Wegener (1880 1930); the theory was not widely accepted until after c.1950 …   Etymology dictionary

• continental drift — n. the theory that continents slowly shift their positions as a result of currents in the molten rocks of the earth s mantle, plate tectonics, etc …   English World dictionary

• continental drift — Geol. the lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates. Cf. plate tectonics. [1925 30] * * * Large scale movements of continents over the course of geologic time. The first complete theory of continental drift was… …   Universalium

• continental drift —   theory that the land mass of the earth was once held as a single continent which has since split into segments which have drifted apart and into the modern configuration of the continents. Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912, based on observed… …   Geography glossary

• continental drift — /ˌkɒntənɛntəl ˈdrɪft/ (say .kontuhnentuhl drift) noun a theory concerning the movement of the continents away from an original single landmass to their present position …  

• continental landform — ▪ geology Introduction       any conspicuous topographic feature on the largest land areas of the Earth. Familiar examples are mountains (including volcanic (volcanism) cones), plateaus, and valleys. (The term landform also can be applied to… …   Universalium

• Theory — The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion.In science a theory is a testable model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena,… …   Wikipedia

• Continental shelf — Marine habitats Anatomy of a continental shelf off the south eastern coast of the United States Littoral zone Intertidal zone …   Wikipedia

• Continental margin —   Sediment   …   Wikipedia

• Continental rise — Diagrammatic cross section of an oceanic basin The continental rise is an underwater feature found between the continental slope and the abyssal plain. This feature can be found all around the world, and it represents the final stage in the… …   Wikipedia