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USGS CMG InfoBank: Movement of Continents

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Comment: 06:33 - 07:13 (00:40)

Source: Annenberg/CPB Resources - Earth Revealed - 5. The Birth of a Theory

Keywords: "Gary Ernst", "Alfred Wegener", "continental drift", continent, "ocean basin", mountain, orogeny, crust

Our transcription: Many scientists were especially disturbed by Wegener's explanation for how the continents moved apart.

Wegener explained his Theory of Continental Drift based on the fact that the continents were moving through the ocean basins, and the continental crust was basically following through this oceanic crust.

Geologists at the time could not understand how the rigid, tough continental assemblies could plow through the weak oceanic basins, and still it was the continents that were deformed to make mountain ranges.

That seemed rather peculiar.

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