Continental-drift meaning

The movement, formation, or re-formation of continents described by the theory of plate tectonics.

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.

(geology) The slow movement of continents explained by plate tectonics.

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.