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Q25 (IAS/2025) Geography › World Physical Geography › Plate tectonics theory Answer Verified

Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift? I. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa. II. The gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side. III. 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.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

All three statements are valid evidences of continental drift theory.

The belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years from Brazil coast matches with those from western Africa[1], supporting Statement I. The gold bearing veins are in Brazil and it is obvious that the gold deposits of the Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side[2], confirming Statement II. The Gondawana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere, with counterparts of this succession found in Africa, Falkland [3]Island, Madagascar, Antarctica and Australia[3], validating Statement III.

These evidences collectively support the Continental Drift Theory proposed by Alfred Wegener, demonstrating that continents were once joined together and subsequently drifted apart. The matching geological features, rock formations, and sedimentary systems across continents now separated by vast oceans provide compelling proof of their former connection.

Sources
  1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Interior of the Earth > Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans > p. 28
  2. [2] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Interior of the Earth > Placer Deposits > p. 28
  3. [3] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Interior of the Earth > Tillite > p. 28
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Q. Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift? I. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches …
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a textbook 'sitter' lifted verbatim from NCERT Class XI, Chapter 3. The examiner simply converted the three sub-headings under 'Evidence in Support of the Continental Drift' into three statements. If you skipped the specific examples (Ghana gold, Brazil rocks) while reading the theory, you lost free marks.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Do ancient rock belts along the coast of Brazil match corresponding rock belts in western Africa as evidence of continental drift?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Interior of the Earth > Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans > p. 28
Presence: 5/5
“the vast ocean. The belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years from Brazil coast matches with those from western Africa. The earliest marine deposits along the coastline of South America and Africa are of the Jurassic age. This suggests that the ocean did not exist prior to that time.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly reports a belt of ancient rocks ~2,000 million years from Brazil's coast that matches western Africa.
  • Matches in age and coastal location directly support the idea that these continental margins were once joined.
  • Provides a temporally specific correspondence (2,000 million years) strengthening the correlation.
Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 7: Tectonics > Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans > p. 97
Presence: 5/5
“• The belt of ancient rocks of 2 billion years from Brazil's coast matches with those from western Africa.• Criticism: Rocks of the same age and similar characteristics are found in other parts of the world too.”
Why this source?
  • Restates the same correspondence: a 2 billion year old rock belt on Brazil's coast matches western Africa.
  • Independent mention reinforces the reliability of the Brazil–West Africa rock correlation as evidence for past continental adjacency.
Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 7: Tectonics > Apparent Affinity of Physical Features > p. 96
Presence: 3/5
“• The bulge of Brazil (South America) seems to fit into the Gulf of Guinea (Africa).• Greenland seems to fit in well with the Ellesmere and Baffin islands of Canada.• The west coast of India, Madagascar and Africa seem to have been joined.• North and South America on one side and Africa and Europe on the other fit along the mid-Atlantic ridge.• The very old fold mountain chains, the Caledonian and the Hercynian mountains of Europe and the Appalachians of the USA seem to be one continuous series. The Caledonians of Europe & The Appalachians of the USA”
Why this source?
  • Notes the bulge of Brazil fitting into the Gulf of Guinea — a morphological jigsaw fit supporting former contiguity.
  • Offers complementary geometric evidence that corroborates the rock-belt match by implying past coastal alignment.
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