Geomorphology : Distribution Of Continents & Oceans

Q 2 / 4

UPSC CSE Prelims 2025

Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift?

  1. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa.
  2. The gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side.
  3. The Gondwana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

  • Statement 1: The geological correlation of ancient rock belts, approximately 2,000 million years old, found along the Brazilian coast with similar formations in Western Africa serves as significant evidence. This suggests that these two continents were once joined.
  • Statement 2: The placer gold deposits along the Ghana coast lack a local source rock. Their origin is traced to gold-bearing veins in the Brazilian plateau, indicating that these landmasses were contiguous before continental drift.
  • Statement 3: The Gondwana system of sediments in India has identifiable counterparts in several Southern Hemisphere landmasses, including Africa, Madagascar, Antarctica, Australia, and the Falkland Islands. The presence of thick glacial tillite at the base of these systems further supports a common paleoclimatic history and a unified landmass.

All three statements provide valid evidence for the phenomenon of continental drift.

Incorrect Options

Options (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect because they omit one or more of the statements that correctly describe evidence for continental drift. Since all three statements are accurate, only the option including all of them is correct.

SOURCENCERT Class 11 Geography Chapter 4: Distribution of Oceans and Continents