Development of Plate Tectonics Social Sciences Research Paper (Research Paper Sample)

Development of Plate Tectonics and How Scientists Understand the
Plate Movement on the Earth’s Lithosphere
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Development of Plate Tectonics and How Scientists Understand the
Plate Movement on the Earth’s Lithosphere
Introduction
Plate tectonics is the scientific hypothesis that tries to give an explanation on the movements of the Earth's lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see on the earth surface today. The terms plate and tectonic describe how the moving plates form the earth. Prior to plate tectonic hypothesis, people from different regions had to come up with diverse explanations about the geographical features in that particular region.
History of Plate Tectonics
Alfred Wegener (1912), a meteorologist, realized that the coastlines of West Africa and that of east of South America seemed to resemble a jigsaw puzzle. Careful examination of the earth revealed that all continents seemed to fit together. He conducted a research where he collected rocks found on mountain belts and along the coastlines of continents. He established that their rock structures had some resemblance.