What did Alfred Wegener think happened to the continents?
In 1912 Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) noticed the same thing and proposed that the continents were once compressed into a single protocontinent which he called Pangaea (meaning “all lands”), and over time they have drifted apart into their current distribution.
Why was Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis for continental drift?
Wegener’s Continental Drift Hypothesis Alfred Wegener suggested that continental drift occurred as continents cut through the ocean floor, in the same way as this icebreaker plows through sea ice. The supercontinent later broke apart and the continents having been moving into their current positions ever since.
How did Alfred Wegener come up with the theory of continental drift?
Much of the resistance to Wegener’s continental drift theory came about because of how he suggested the continents once fit together. Wegener used fossil patterns to help shape the map of Pangaea as he saw it. This meant that Antarctica would be used as the root continent and the others would be formed around it.
Who are the critics of the continental drift theory?
Alfred Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory Alfred Wegener and his Critics Continental Drift Theory:Building the Case Continental Drift Theory:The Fatal Flaw Wegener, Galileo and Darwin Winners, Losers, Insiders, Outsiders Science:A Question of Faith
Who was convinced that all of Earth’s continents were once one landmass?
Wegener was convinced that all of Earth’s continents were once part of an enormous, single landmass called Pangaea. Wegener, trained as an astronomer, used biology, botany, and geology describe Pangaea and continental drift.
What causes the continents to move away from each other?
Wegener suggested that perhaps the rotation of the Earth caused the continents to shift towards and apart from each other. (It doesn’t.) Today, we know that the continents rest on massive slabs of rock called tectonic plates. The plates are always moving and interacting in a process called plate tectonics.