See more
What theory did Wegener introduce in 1912?
Theory of Continental DriftJanuary 6, 1912: Alfred Wegener Presents His Theory of Continental Drift. The notion that the continents were once joined together dates back to at least the 16th century, with the Flemish cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius.
Where did Alfred Wegener present his theory?
In November 1926 Wegener presented his continental drift theory at a symposium of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in New York City, again earning rejection from everyone but the chairman. Three years later the fourth and final expanded edition of “The Origin of Continents and Oceans” appeared.
Why was Wegener's theory rejected first?
The first reason was that his theory of continental drift was just too weak for most geologists to accept. Even though he believed the supercontinent that broke up into different continents moved, he did not have a clear explanation to how the continents moved.
What theory did Alfred Wegner invent?
The realization that Earth's land masses move was first proposed by Alfred Wegener, which he called continental drift.
What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?
The four pieces of evidence for the continental drift include continents fitting together like a puzzle, scattering ancient fossils, rocks, mountain ranges, and the old climatic zones' locations.
What was Alfred Wegener's theory of Pangaea?
Wegener's continental drift theory introduced the idea of moving continents to geoscience. He proposed that Earth (opens in new tab) must have once been a single supercontinent before breaking up to form several different continents.
How did Alfred Wegener contribute to the theory of plate tectonics?
Plate tectonic theory had its beginnings in 1915 when Alfred Wegener proposed his theory of "continental drift." Wegener proposed that the continents plowed through crust of ocean basins, which would explain why the outlines of many coastlines (like South America and Africa) look like they fit together like a puzzle.
Overview
Biography
Alfred Wegener was born in Berlin on 1 November 1880 as the youngest of five children in a clergyman's family. His father, Richard Wegener, was a theologian and teacher of classical languages at the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster. In 1886 his family purchased a former manor house near Rheinsberg, which they used as a vacation home. Today there is an Alfred Wegener Memor…
Continental drift theory
Modern developments
Awards and honors
Selected works
See also
External links