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There is no difference, they are they same theory about the Earth's crust being divided and moving, they are just two different names that people call it.

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Americo Powlowski

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8mo ago
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15y ago

Continental Drift only states the splitting up of Pangaea in the current seven continents. Plate Tectonics explains Continental Drift, and also the formation of volcanoes, mountains, canyons and the occurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis and so on.

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15y ago

Continental drift theory was proposed before the discovery of the mid-oceanic ridges, when it was hypothesized that the continents were actually plowing through the oceans. This theory was an attempt to explain the commonality of fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the observation on maps of the Earth that the North American and South American continents appeared to have been pulled apart from Europe and Africa. With the discovery of the mid-oceanic ridges, where new crustal plate is being created, and subduction zones, where plates are being destroyed, plate tectonic theory was born; that the crust of the earth is divided into many segments that are in constant motion, that the oceanic crust is constantly being recycled--all driven by heat from the Earth's interior. Plate tectonics is now nearly universally accepted as scientific fact, yet questions remain to be answered on some of the mechanisms of the process.

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9y ago

Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's crust is broken up into a number of segments called tectonic plates. These plates moves slowly. These movements are responsible for most of Earth's seismic and volcanic activity. Plate tectonics is different from continental drift in that it proposes that the entirety of Earth's crust moves, rather than just the continents.

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13y ago

it isn't it's the same thing-plate tectonics create the idea of continental drift!

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Q: What is the difference between the hypothesis of continental drift and theory of plate tectonics?
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What is similarities tectonics and theory of the continental drift?

Tectonics is the large scale processes effecting the crust. The large scale process that is accepted to be occurring is plate tectonics (crust separated into plates that move and interact). The theory of continental drift suggested that continents moved however it never proposed a mechanism, plate tectonics is that mechanism that explains what alfred wegener saw. So back to your question similarities between what i think you mean modern tectonics i.e. plate tectonics and continental drift is that they both suggest the crust is moving.


What is the connection between sea levels and the continental drift hypothesis?

beacuse they both have to do the same thing :)


What primary difference between a scientific theory and a hypothesis is that a theory is?

A scientific theory is more elaborated than a simple hypothesis and generally is validated by experiments.


What is the difference between earth tectonics and martian tectonics?

Plate tectonics on earth are vigorous and ongoing. Plate tectonics on Mars are a matter of debate. Long thought to be only in Mars distant past, there is a shift in opinion on the question of plate tectonics on Mars, and some (not all) scientists now believe that there is mild and sporadic plate tectonics happening on Mars to this day. But all agree that if that is the case, it is a fraction of those happening on earth.


What is the difference between the hypothesis of continental drift and the theory of plate tectonics?

Long shore drift is the movement of material along a beach. The material would be washed onto the beach then another wave would pick it up and move it further down. This is how beaches can move along the coast line. This has nothing to do with plate tectonics. Continental drift is related to plate tectonics. It is the movement of the continents by the plates underneath them and varies from 1cm to 15cm every year. Millions of years ago the continents were all connected in a super continent called Pangaea until they were pushed apart by the plates underneath them.

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What is similarities tectonics and theory of the continental drift?

Tectonics is the large scale processes effecting the crust. The large scale process that is accepted to be occurring is plate tectonics (crust separated into plates that move and interact). The theory of continental drift suggested that continents moved however it never proposed a mechanism, plate tectonics is that mechanism that explains what alfred wegener saw. So back to your question similarities between what i think you mean modern tectonics i.e. plate tectonics and continental drift is that they both suggest the crust is moving.


What is the connection between sea levels and the continental drift hypothesis Explain?

non ya


The difference between plate tectonics continental drift and sea floor spreading?

Answer:Continental drift is the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass(Pangaea) broke up and drifted to their present locations.Sea-floor spreading the process by which new oceanic lithosphere(sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth's surface and solidifies at a mid-ocean ridge.


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