What is the theory that the continents move slowly across the Earth's surface?

• A. Continental Drift
• B. Plate Tectonics
• C. Isostasy
• D. Rifting

Answer: (A)

Continental Drift is the idea that the continents have moved slowly across the Earth’s surface over geological time. It captures the sense of landmasses that were once joined and have gradually separated to their present positions. The best fit for this description is supported by several lines of evidence: coastlines that match up like puzzle pieces (such as the rejoined margins of South America and Africa), the parallel mountain belts and rock types found on different continents, and the distribution of fossils and ancient climate indicators that make more sense when continents were connected. Paleoclimatic clues—glacial evidence in now-tropical regions and coal deposits in high latitudes—also point to past continental connections. While Continental Drift describes the movement itself, the mechanism is now explained by Plate Tectonics, which shows rigid plates moving on the mantle and accounts for how drift happens.