Question

select all that apply
why did other scientists reject the continental drift hypothesis?
□ continents cannot push through the seafloor without causing fractures.
□ new rock cannot be created at mid - ocean ridges.
□ earths rotation cannot make continents move.

Explanation:

• Continents cannot push through the seafloor without causing fractures: Continental crust is less - dense and more buoyant than oceanic crust. Pushing continents through the seafloor (oceanic crust) would require overcoming significant resistance and there was no known mechanism at the time of the continental drift hypothesis to explain such a forceful movement that would not cause obvious fractures in a way that was consistent with early understanding.
• Earth’s rotation cannot make continents move: Early proponents of continental drift (like Wegener) suggested forces like Earth’s rotation (e.g., centrifugal force) could move continents. But later calculations showed that the forces from Earth’s rotation are too weak to move large continental masses.
• New rock cannot be created at mid - ocean ridges: This is incorrect. In fact, new oceanic crust (rock) is created at mid - ocean ridges through volcanic activity as magma rises from the mantle. But at the time of the continental drift hypothesis (before the development of plate tectonics), the concept of seafloor spreading (which involves new rock formation at mid - ocean ridges) was not known. However, this is not a valid reason to reject continental drift.

Answer:

Earth’s rotation cannot make continents move, Continents cannot push through the seafloor without causing fractures.