Several major post-drift discoveries rejuvenated the interest of scientists in the study of distribution of oceans and continents.

A number of discoveries during the post–World War II period added new information to geological literature. Particularly, the mapping of the ocean floor provided new dimensions for the study, as most earlier evidence for continental drift had been collected only from continental areas.

Palaeomagnetic studies of rocks from oceanic regions revealed significant facts. It was discovered that volcanic eruptions are common all along the mid-oceanic ridges, bringing huge amounts of lava to the surface. Rocks equidistant on either side of the crest of mid-oceanic ridges show remarkable similarities in terms of period of formation, chemical compositions and magnetic properties.

Another crucial finding was that ocean crust rocks are much younger than continental rocks. The age of rocks in the oceanic crust is nowhere more than 200 million years, whereas some continental rock formations are as old as 3,200 million years. Rocks closer to the mid-oceanic ridges are youngest, and age increases as one moves away from the crest.

Arthur Holmes in the 1930s discussed the convection currents operating in the mantle portion, generated due to radioactive elements causing thermal differences. This provided an explanation for the force behind continental movement. Later, the concept of sea floor spreading and Plate Tectonics in 1967 further revived interest in this field of study.