Pahoehoe toe

History of Tectonic Plates

  • Period: to

    Evidence started to suggest the continents were moving.

    In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Evidence started to suggest the continents were moving. Geologists saw this as further evidence for the cooling earth and the contraction of the outer layers.
  • Discovery of Mariana Trench

    HMS Challenger discover the Mariana Trench in 1872.
  • Period: to

    Scientists surveying the ocean floor

    Scientists were surveying the ocean floor for an undersea telegraph cable between North America and Europe. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
  • German Meteorologist proposed a new idea.

    German Meteorologist, Alfred Wegeneer proposed a new idea. Wegener thought that the continents were floating on denser material, and the continents were constantly drifting apart and rejoining in new combinations. He suggested that at one stage the continents had formed a massive super continent.
  • Death of Alfred Wegener

    Alfred Wegener died in 1930, during an expedition to Greenland. It was not until after his death that evidence that proved him correct was discovered. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.