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An Earth Shaking Discovery Reading Answers
Author
16-09-2025
You have been given An Earth shaking discovery reading answers in a tabular format below. Verify your answers and analyse your performance.
| 14. D |
15. E |
16. B |
17. F |
|
18. Mid-ocean ridge(s)/ ridge crest(s) |
19. Molten rock rose |
20. (Earth’s) magnetic field |
21. parallel/symmetrical/magnetic (zebra) strips |
|
22. Pushed aside/(further) apart |
23. Plate tectonics |
24. climates |
25. Earth Systems Science |
|
26. integrated |
As one of the trickiest modules, IELTS reading requires a lot of preparation if you want to perform well. Since the test has a 60-minute deadline, you must efficiently manage your time or formulate a plan to complete it rapidly. In order to make it easier for you to find and rectify your mistakes, we have included An Earth shaking reading answers with explanations.
Information on the discovery of the continents drifting apart and how it has affected the earth may be found in An Earth Shaking Discovery reading answers. Three primary IELTS Reading question types are covered in this article for your practise are:
- IELTS Reading Matching sentence endings
- IELTS Reading Diagram labelling
- IELTS Reading Short answer question
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Strategies for solving “An Earth shaking discovery”
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Before solving An Earth shaking discovery IELTS reading answers, please go through the IELTS reading tips.
IELTS Reading Passage - An Earth Shaking Discovery
Use 20 minutes efficiently to carefully skim through the passage before answering the questions and then evaluate your performance by comparing it with An Earth shaking discovery IELTS reading answers provided.
An Earth Shaking Discovery
The discovery of seafloor spreading is earth-shaking, yet those responsible are forgotten, says Anna Grayson.
- A report published in the journal Nature has entirely altered the perspective of this planet and the resources present on it. The things done by Crick and Watson for Biology and Einstein for Physics, similar were done by Fred Vine, Drummond Matthews, and the authors of Tts for Earth Sciences. As a result, new zones of scientific research are still surfacing.
- Yet neither man is much remembered or acknowledged. Vine and Matthews' work served as evidence that continents do, in fact, move over the surface of the earth. The way we seek for resources such as oil and minerals is strongly affected by this information, which has also made it feasible for us to anticipate most volcanic eruptions and decipher seismic patterns. Remarkably, however, knowledge of the Earth's dynamic mobility aids in understanding long-term shifts in the global climate. Despite how valuable their work was, neither guy earned enough acknowledgement or popularity.
- German meteorologist Allred Wegener actually first put forth the ideology of continental drift in 1915. While South America and Africa fit together as well as a jigsaw puzzle, Wegener discovered substantial fossil proof that the two continents were once connected. None took him seriously; in fact, a large percentage of geologists made fun of him. Because he was not a geologist, he was seen as an outsider, which contributed to some of this. Vine believes that Wegener's inability to explain how whole continents could potentially move even an inch, let alone dance to the beats of time across the world, was the main reason for the contempt.
- The Scottish geologist Arthur Holmes theorised in the 1920s that the Earth's convection currents "might grow sufficiently strong to push the two parts of the original continent apart!" Harry Hess, an American, suggested the concept that molten material rising in a convection flow at the mid-ocean ridges consistently generates new seafloor in the late 1950s. But neither could actually show any supportive evidence. It was nothing more than an intuition that it had to be plausible, but science demands more than an instinct.
- Vine, a graduate student at Cambridge, was given the responsibility to examine one of the new magnetic surveys of the ocean bed since he had been fascinated in the continents' accurate fit since he was 14. He discovered what he terms "parallel zebra swipes of normal and reversed magnetism" along the mid-ocean ridge. What's most notable was that these stripes were symmetrical on every side of the ridge crests. There must be a logic for this. The theory implied by the young Vine and his mentor Matthews was that the magnetic stripes were produced by the creation of a new ocean floor after molten rock surfaced at the mid-ocean ridges and stretched out on either side of the ridge.
- The molten rock formed a weak magnetic field perpendicular to the magnetic field of the earth as it hardened. In the early 1960s, it was only beginning to be realised that the Earth's magnetic field periodically flipped, changing magnetic north into magnetic south and vice versa. The new sea bed was keeping count of these magnetic field flips. The history of the ocean floor was captured like a huge tape recording. The creation of new sea beds pushed the old ones aside, resulting in a broader ocean and a divergence of the continents on each side. In other words, they had found the missing element of Wegener's theory that explains how continents drifted apart. The earth sciences were not the same again.
- Plate tectonics, the theory that only a few solid plates form the Earth's surface and are shifted around by an expanding sea floor, was confirmed by the end of the 1960s following evidence of global sea bed spread. It was recognised that mountains are created when two plates clash and that the borders of these plates are where most earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Except for a few orthodox believers, everyone in the geological field accepted this as fact.
- In Vine's opinion, the most fascinating and noteworthy research is primarily focused on how shifting continents impact the environment worldwide: "The allocation of continents and the opening and closing of ocean gates among continents have had a significant impact on climates and have ended up causing somersaults from Icehouse Earth to Greenhouse Earth." The name "Earth Systems Science" was coined out of the awareness that the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere of the planet are all closely allied to its shifting continents and internal deep activities. The truth revealed by Vine and Matthews acted as an acorn from which the magnificent oak tree of science has blossomed. Vine is extremely supportive of earth systems sciences' holistic approach and also thrilled that everything has come together. Instead of the solitary stand that geologists maintained during the 20th century, he claimed to believe that a comprehensive approach to the sciences would be more efficient in improving our knowledge of the planet: there was an extraordinary polarisation of science, and he was stuck between the boundaries. This idea was repugnant to him. He believes that all environmental research should be integrated.
An Earth Shaking Discovery IELTS Reading Questions
Questions 1-4
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-G from the box below.
Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
|
A. |
something which could not possibly be true. |
| B. |
matters beyond simply the movement of continents. |
|
C. |
matters that had not received much attention for some time. |
|
D. |
something arrived at by intuition that could not be demonstrated. |
| E. |
matters requiring different research techniques. |
| F. |
something misunderstood at first but later seen as a breakthrough. |
| G. |
something that had already been observed. |
- Wegener’s conclusions were greeted as ____________.
- The theories presented by both Holmes and Hess concerned ___________.
- The work done by Vine and Matthews has had implications concerning _____________.
- Wegener attempted to provide an explanation of ____________.
Click here to know more about IELTS Reading matching sentence endings questions.
Questions 5-9
Label the diagram below.

5. _____________
6. _____________
7. _____________
8. _____________
9. _____________
Click here to know more about IELTS Reading diagram labelling questions.
Questions 10-13
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
10. As a result of Vine and Matthews' work, which branch of science has arised?
Answer: __________
11. What was the theory named, which was concerned with the Earth’s structure being formed due to the sea bed spreading out?
Answer: __________
12. What was the term used by Vine to describe the approach which he believed the study of Earth should be done?
Answer: __________
13. In Vine’s opinion, what was highly influenced by the movement of continents?
Answer: __________
Click here to know more about IELTS Reading short answers questions.
An Earth Shaking Discovery Reading Answers With Explanations
An Earth shaking discovery reading answers with explanations are provided here with exact locations to analyse your performance and correct your mistakes.
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)
1. A
Key location: 3rd paragraph, 4th line.
Explanation: The theories provided by him were not accepted because he could not give a justification of his claim. He was not a geologist, hence he was treated as an outsider as well as made fun of.
2. D
Key location: 4th paragraph, 6th line.
Explanation: It is described that they had a hunch of their theory being hunch, that is a feeling of it being true. They thought that it was correct, however, they could physically prove it.
3. B
Key location: 2nd paragraph.
Explanation: They have explained how Vine and Matthews’ work is not just about the movement of the plates, it also helps the people to search for oil, minerals, and also predict volcanoes and earthquakes. Their work was useful in understanding the climate changes as well.
4. G
Key location: 3rd paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation: Wegener had presented the idea of South America and Africa being joined in the past. But this was known by everyone that these two continents fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
5. mid(-)ocean ridge(s) / ridge crest(s)
Key location: 5th paragraph, 3rd line.
Explanation: Vine, who was studying the area, discovered magnetics strips appearing. He describes that these activities were occurring on either side of the mid-ocean ridges.
6. molten rock rose
Key location: 5th paragraph, 6th line.
Explanation: The passage states: “The theory implied by the young Vine and his mentor Matthews was that the magnetic stripes were produced by the creation of a new ocean floor after molten rock surfaced at the mid-ocean ridges and stretched out on either side of the ridge.”
7. (Earth’s) magnetic field
Key location: 6th paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation: When the molten rock solidified, it weakly bonded with the earth’s magnetic field parallelly. And it was also observed that the Earth’s field periodically changed from north to south and south to north. It was termed as ‘flips’.
8. parallel / symmetrical / magnetic (zebra) stripes
Key location: 5th paragraph, 3rd line.
Explanation: These were strips discovered by Vine at the mid-ocean ridges. He called them ‘parallel zebra strips’. And further explained how they were magnetic and symmetrical in nature.
9. pushed aside / apart
Key location: 6th paragraph, 6th line.
Explanation: It is explained how the new sea bed that was being formed was pushing the existing one aside to create a space for itself. This resulted in wider oceans and continents being pushed further away from each other.
10. Earth Systems Science
Key location: 8th paragraph, 5th line.
Explanation: Vine and Matthews' work had provided an explanation for the continents drifting and various other things. It was also the reason a brand new branch of science had opened.
11. plates tectonics
Key location: 7th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation: Plate tectonics, the theory that only a few solid plates form the Earth's surface and are shifted around by an expanding sea floor, was confirmed by the end of the 1960s following evidence of global sea bed spread.
12. integrated
Key location: 8th paragraph, 15th line.
Explanation: He did not approve of the scientific research being separated into different branches. He wanted that “all environmental research should be integrated”.
13. climates
Key location: 8th paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation: The climate is being affected by the movements of continents, as per Vine. He has explained further, how the climate is changing tremendously from the cold regions and the moderate greenhouse regions.
Check the other reading passages
Click the links to check the other important reading passages listed below
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Conclusion
"An Earth shaking discovery Reading Answers" blog includes a reading passage with three different sorts of questions, including the right answers, alongside their specific locations and justifications. You'll be able to assess your progress, correct your errors, and develop a plan for finishing reading passages with the assistance of this strategy.
About Author Roshan Sunthar
Roshan Sunthar is a study abroad expert as well as a renowned writer and author in international education. His academic excellence and 5+ years of work experience give him in-depth knowledge of international standardised exams and test preparation in IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, PTE, SAT, etc. The study materials he prepares incorporate exam-like questions. He’s also an expert in writing Statement of Purposes (SOPs) and Letter of Recommendations (LORs) for college admissions. He usually spends his leisure time watching English classics and documentaries, travelling, etc.
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