PLATE TECTONIC THEORY TIMELINE

Plate Tectonic Theory Timeline

By Reuben

Alfred Wegener - 1912

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• His theory was that earth was just one continent before they all broke off and split into multiple different ones.​
• He was able to support his theory by demonstrating the biological and geological similarities between the coastlines of the continents. He furthermore proved his theory by presenting fossils only found on South America and Africa that were found in the opposite continent.​
• Alfred Wegener was the origin of the continenet drift theories and influenced others and allowed other people to link their ideas back to his theory.
• He effected society postively as he was the first person to make a complete statement about the continental drift theory.
• Some other scientists suggested that to believe his theory it would have to mean that past knowledge on the subject would've had to be rethought
• Due to him being the first person to propose a hypothesis he was rideculed. Gelogists in his day strongly believed that oceans and continents stood firmly in their place. The British mocked him for changing the continents to make them fit and the Americans accused him of toying with the evidence to make himself seem good.

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Arthur Holmes - 1928

• His theory about plate tectonic was that convection currents moved through the mantle and reshape the earth's surface at the same time. This theory explained the push and pull of continent plates.​
• He was one of the first geologists to support Alfred Wegener's view on continental drift. He proposed that the currents would be like a conveyor belt that pushes the continents away.
• This idea was accepted and helped to further develop the tectonic plate theory.

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Harry Hess - 1962

• Harry Hess was a geologist and navy submarine commander during World War 2. He discovered on the sea floor there were hundreds of flat-topped mountains.​

• Hess also agrees with the Wegener theory of continental drift ​

• He proposed a theory of how the continents did drift apart which was then later named Sea floor Spreading.​

• See floor spreading is the theory that oceanic-crust forms along the mid-ocean ridge system, and further spread out away from them.​
• He was able to explain his theory by suggesting that the ocean crust was moving away from mid ocean ridges.
• His hypothesis further encouraged and gave other geologists ideas on sea floor spreading.
• Unlike Alfred Wegener he was able to see and show his seafloor spreading and was quickly accepted.

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Frederick Vine and Drummond Matthews - 1963

• Vine and Matthew noticed that there was a symmetrical pattern of magnetic stripes on both sides of the the mid-ocean ridges.
• This finding suggested that he ocean floor was created at the mid ocean ridges, then was split in half by later activity and pushed sideways.
• This was the first scientific test of the sea floor spreading proposed by Harry Hess and was crucial in the development of the theory of plate tectonics.
• The evidence they discovered was what finally convinced scientists that seafloor spreading was real.

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Glomar Challenger - 1968

• The Glomar Challenger was a drillship which was used for deep sea research and scientific drillings for oceanography and marine geology research.
• It investigated 624 different sites in many oceans and was able to support the theory of plate tectonics by providing evidence of continental drift and seafloor renewal.
• The Glomar Challenger was significant as it was the first research vessel specifically designed for the purpose to drill into the deep ocean floor and take samples
• The samples showed that layers of sediment were thinner in areas like the crest and that it was also thicker further out from the nearby location. With this we were able to see that new oceanic crust was being formed along the plate boundary and then spreading out sideways.
• This was enough evidence to support the theory of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.

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Bibliography

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• Society, N., 2022. continental drift. [online] Continental Drift. Available at: <https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-drift/> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

• Magazine, S. and Conniff, R., 2022. When Continental Drift Was Considered Pseudoscience. [online] When Continental Drift Was Considered Pseudoscience. Available at: <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-continental-drift-was-considered-pseudoscience-90353214/#:~:text=Lingering%20anti%2DGerman%20sentiment%20no,make%20them%20fit%20and%2C%20more> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

• Magazine, S. and Conniff, R., 2022. When Continental Drift Was Considered Pseudoscience. [online] When Continental Drift Was Considered Pseudoscience. Available at: <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-continental-drift-was-considered-pseudoscience-90353214/#:~:text=Lingering%20anti%2DGerman%20sentiment%20no,make%20them%20fit%20and%2C%20more> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

• Madaan, A., 2022. Theory and Evidence of Seafloor Spreading | Earth Eclipse. [online] Theory and Evidence of Seafloor Spreading. Available at: <https://eartheclipse.com/geology/theory-and-evidence-of-seafloor-spreading.html> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

• Arthur Holmes: Mantle Convection & Continental Drift. 2022. Arthur Holmes: Mantle Convection & Continental Drift. [online] Available at: <https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/earth-inside-and-out/geologist-arthur-holmes> [Accessed 23 March 2022].

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https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-drift/

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https://www.strangescience.net/holmes.htm

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https://eartheclipse.com/geology/theory-and-evidence-of-seafloor-spreading.html

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https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap1-Pioneers-of-Plate-Tectonics/Vine-and-Matthews

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http://wcsa.world/news/world-almanac-event-academy/wcsa-on-this-day-march-28-2021-the-glomar-challenger-geological-research-ship-was-launched-in-1968