UPSC Prelims 2025 · Question 45 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2025 question on Continental Drift Evidence
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2025
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectGeography
- TopicGeomorphology
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeStatement
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.
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Answer: C. I, II and III
Verdict
All three are correct evidences of continental drift → Option (c).
Analysis
I – CORRECT: 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, suggesting the ocean did not exist prior to that time. Hence Statement I is correct evidence of continental drift.
II – CORRECT: The occurrence of rich placer deposits of gold in the Ghana coast and the absolute absence of source rock in the region is an amazing fact. The gold bearing veins are in Brazil and it is obvious that the gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side. Hence Statement II is correct.
III – CORRECT: The Gondwana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere — Africa, Falkland Island, Madagascar, Antarctica, and Australia. The overall resemblance of Gondwana-type sediments demonstrates these landmasses had remarkably similar histories. Hence Statement III is correct.