Plate tectonic theory

  • Alfred Wegener

    Wegener came across a scientific paper that listed fossils of plants and animals. He became interested in this and began to look for similar cases of organisms separated by oceans. The continents fitted together.
  • Arthur Holmes

    Holmes theory is that the mantle goes under thermal convection and as magma is heated it rises and then cools down and sinks again.
  • mid-atlantic ridge discovered

    Mid atlantic ridge was discovered during world war II because of the increase of sonar equipment
  • Dietz, Heezen and Hess

    They all proposed that linear volcanic chains in ocean basins are sites where the new sea floor had erupted and moved towards the sides of ocean
  • Harry Hess

    Hess theory of the sea floor spreading had evidence in 1962, this led to his discovery of submerged and flat topped mountains.
  • Dan McKenzie

    His theory is that the lithosphere is divided into few dozen plated that move across the earth's surface.