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 SouthernHemisphere.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) I and III only
(b) I and II only
(c) I, II and III
(d) II and III only

The correct answer is (c) I, II and III.

All three statements are classic pieces of evidence used by Alfred Wegener and other scientists to support the theory of continental drift.

Explanation

I. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa.
- This is correct. This is known as the “geological fit.” When the continents are reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle, the ancient rock formations (cratons) on the coast of Brazil align perfectly in age and structure with those on the coast of West Africa, forming a continuous belt.
II. The gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side.
- This is correct. This is a key example of “geological evidence.” Ghana has rich placer (alluvial) gold deposits. The source rocks (lodes) for this gold are not found in Ghana but are abundant on the Brazilian plateau. The deposits in Ghana only make geological sense if they were located downstream from the Brazilian plateau when the continents were joined.
III. The Gondwana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere.
- This is correct. This refers to “stratigraphic and paleoclimatic evidence.” The Gondwana system is a specific sequence of sedimentary rocks, most notably containing tillites (deposits left by ancient glaciers). These identical glacial deposits are found across India, southern Africa, South America, Australia, Madagascar, and Antarctica. This strongly implies that these now-separate landmasses were once part of a single supercontinent (Gondwana) centered near the South Pole.