What are two major lines of evidence for plate tectonics?

What are two major lines of evidence for plate tectonics?

• A. Fit of continents and similar rock formations/fossils across continents
• B. The existence of dinosaur fossils across continents
• C. Ocean tides
• D. The color of rocks in deserts

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how plate tectonics is supported by patterns that show continents once fit together and share the same geological history. The strongest evidence is that the edges of continents can be rearranged to form a continuous landmass, like puzzle pieces, indicating they were connected in the past. In addition, rock formations and fossils line up across continents that are now far apart, showing that these lands and their geology developed in a shared, earlier arrangement. When you compare the same rock types, mountain belts, and fossil species on now-distant continents, they match up as if they were carved from the same trunk of a single supercontinent, and the directions of past continents’ movements explain those matches today. Other options don’t address how the earth’s outer shell moves. Ocean tides relate to gravitational effects on oceans, and the color of rocks in deserts isn’t about plate movement. Dinosaur fossils across continents relate to past life distribution, but the two major lines described here—coastline fit and shared rock/fossil histories—best capture the evidence for plate tectonics.

The idea being tested is how plate tectonics is supported by patterns that show continents once fit together and share the same geological history. The strongest evidence is that the edges of continents can be rearranged to form a continuous landmass, like puzzle pieces, indicating they were connected in the past. In addition, rock formations and fossils line up across continents that are now far apart, showing that these lands and their geology developed in a shared, earlier arrangement. When you compare the same rock types, mountain belts, and fossil species on now-distant continents, they match up as if they were carved from the same trunk of a single supercontinent, and the directions of past continents’ movements explain those matches today.

Other options don’t address how the earth’s outer shell moves. Ocean tides relate to gravitational effects on oceans, and the color of rocks in deserts isn’t about plate movement. Dinosaur fossils across continents relate to past life distribution, but the two major lines described here—coastline fit and shared rock/fossil histories—best capture the evidence for plate tectonics.