| Geology. the lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates. |
| continental drift n. The movement, formation, or re-formation of continents described by the theory of plate tectonics. |
A term, no longer used by geologists, that refers to the fact that continents are not stationary, but move across the Earth's surface. Continental drift is one feature of the modern theory of plate tectonics. (See Pangaea.)
| continental drift
A theory stating that the Earth's continents have been joined together and have moved away from each other at different times in the Earth's history. The theory was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. While his general idea of continental movement eventually became widely accepted, his explanation for the mechanism of the movement has been supplanted by the theory of plant tectonics. See more at plate tectonics. |
continental drift
In 1980 David Turner remarked that KRC ran "at the speed of the continental drift".
(1994-12-06)
