- 2069 Chaitra · 2 marks
Evidences of plate tectonics
Short answer
Continents fit like jigsaw pieces; identical fossils and rock belts occur on separated continents; magnetic stripes on the sea floor are symmetrical about mid-ocean ridges, showing new crust forms and spreads outward.
Mention any three evidences of plate tectonics.
Three evidences of plate tectonics:
- Fit of continents: the coastlines of South America and Africa fit like a jigsaw; the match is even better at the edge of the continental shelves.
- Fossil and rock similarity: identical fossils (Glossopteris plant, Mesosaurus reptile) and matching rock types and mountain belts are found on continents now far apart, meaning they were joined.
- Sea-floor spreading and magnetic stripes: rocks on both sides of mid-ocean ridges show symmetrical bands of normal and reversed magnetism, and get older away from the ridge, showing new crust forms at the ridge and moves outward.
(Other evidences: earthquake and volcano belts matching plate edges; ancient glacial deposits in tropical areas.)
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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