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Walt Boyer's avatar

Is it strange that us Boomers and the older Gen Xers learned about plate tectonics and drifting continents in elementary school? I guess science finally caught up to pre Department of Education education.

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TB's avatar

Don't recall if I learned it from school or from old issues of National Geographic, but I'm sure it wasn't mentioned very much in school if it was.

Interesting side note, young-earth creationists actually make a big deal on plate tectonics because their theory is that most of the continental shifting happened during Noah's flood (so, recently in the geological scale) and therefore we shouldn't be surprised if they're still moving a bit today (and faster than old-earth theories predict). Score +1 for the fundamentalists, I guess?

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ViaVeritasVita's avatar

4th grade. 1959-60. I remember making a plasticene model of the contours of Africa and South America. Ever since have enjoyed noticing the continental jig-saw puzzle.

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JJ's avatar

Good old plasticine. Can you still get it anymore?

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🌱Nard🙏's avatar

If you say “tectonic” to today’s public school middle schoolers, they’ll think it’s another identity the can try on 🧐.

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