Are the continents moving? Detailed answer

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Are the continents moving? Detailed answer

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Are the continents moving?

The theory that the continents move was first put forward by the German scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912. He drew attention to the fact that coal occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although coal is obtained from plants growing in tropical forests. In addition, he noticed that the west coast of Africa and the east coast of South America fit together in such a way that it seems that they were simply torn apart. Wegener decided that all the continents were first united into one big continent. Then they dispersed and took up their current position.

Most geologists disagreed with him because no one imagined that continents could move. Then scientists began to think how this could happen. One hypothesis suggests that the heat in the interior of the Earth creates countercurrents that force the continents to move. Now scientists believe that the ocean floor is moving under the influence of the displacement of the mantle of the earth's crust.

There is no consensus on this. Some scientific geologists agree with the above theory. Scientists involved in underwater geology are also inclined to accept it. If all geologists accepted the theory that the continents have moved and are still moving, there would be a revolution in our understanding of the earth's surface. Scientists would finally answer questions about our climate, about the evolution of animals and plants, about the origin of mountains and other phenomena.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How is gold found?

Probably the first metal known to man was gold. By the way it occurs in nature, man learned about it and appreciated it long before historical times. How is gold found?

Although gold is considered valuable and rare, it is abundant in nature. The trouble is that in most cases a gold deposit is unprofitable to develop because there is not enough metal in it. For example, sea water contains a small amount of gold. But there is so little of it that no one knows how to extract gold from water. But there is so much water in the oceans that the total amount of gold in them could be ten billion tons.

Gold occurs in two forms: native, which means that it does not contain impurities of other minerals, and combined with ores of other metals. Native gold is most often found in quartz veins or in iron pyrite beds. Sometimes quartz or pyrites are exposed to water and wind. Particles of stones surrounding the grains of gold are washed away, revealing grains and nuggets of pure gold. Nuggets are gradually washed to the bottom of the valleys and mixed with sand and gravel. Such gold is called "alluvial" or "loose".

When man first discovered gold, it was loose. Gold particles range in size from tiny specks of dust to large nuggets, such as the "Welcome Stranger" nugget found in Australia, which weighs about 70 kg. Gold is often found in ores of other metals. Silver almost always contains particles of gold. Copper ores are also often found in combination with gold.

Today, gold is mined in the same ways as other metals. A deep pit, called a mine, breaks deep into the earth to the deposits of gold. It can be more than a kilometer deep! The ore is then exploded, loaded onto carts, transported to the shaft and lifted to the surface. It is crushed to fine sand, called pulp, and then the gold is separated from other substances by chemical action. The three main gold mining countries in the world are South Africa, Russia and the United States.

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