the theory that continents slowly shift their positions as a result of plate tectonics, currents in the molten rocks of the earth's mantle, etc.
continental drift
continental driftWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"continental drift." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift>.
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continental drift. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift
continental drift
noun
The movement, formation, or re-formation of continents described by the theory of plate tectonics.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"continental drift." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift>.
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continental drift. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift
A theory stating that the Earth's continents have been joined together and have moved away from each other at different times in the Earth's history. The theory was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. While his general idea of continental movement eventually became widely accepted, his explanation for the mechanism of the movement has been supplanted by the theory of plant tectonics.
See more at plate tectonics
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"continental drift." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift>.
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continental drift. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift
Noun
(uncountable)
- (geology) The slow movement of continents explained by plate tectonics.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"continental drift." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift>.
APA Style
continental drift. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/continental-drift
