CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY

The continental drift hypothesis refers to the theory where at one point in time, all
of the continents were joined together in one large landmass prior to splitting
apart and drifting into their current positions (known as the various continents in
the world today)

CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY

continental drift theory was introduced to the world in 1912, but was greeted
with the same censure and skepticism that confronted Darwins theory of
evolution and Gaglileo’s support for heliocentrism in the 16th century. The
theory proposed that continents move and used to be super continent.
Alfred wedgener introduced his preposition in 1912. being a meteorologist, he
was familiar with the shapes of continents, and one that stuck him most was
they seem to fit with each other.
The faint notion doesnt begin with Wegener himslef. scientist before himhad
prosposed the same idea, though they did not pursue it as dedicatedly as
wegener did. Like Abraham Ortelius (19560, Theodor Christoph (1756),
Alexander Von Humbolt(1801) and Antonio Snider(1858)
In 1915 Wegener published his idea in book “The origin of continents and
oceans”

WEGENER’S PROOF FOR CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY

1. Apparent fit of continents

the apparent fit between continent is easily regognizable efven for non
geologist. Other geologist also noticed some geological similarities between
the two, on the top of thei apparent fit.
Von Humboldt example that the mountain ranges of buenos aires and
argentina match the mountain ranges in south africa.
the same finding revealed by the rock type, rock formation and mountain
ranges formed in north america and north of scotland.\
2. Fossil Correlation
Wegener dug into fossils record ofg various continents and socovered atleast
four fossils whose distribution suggested that continents used to for land mass
fossil evidents from plants also did.
cynognathus used to roam the connected land masses of south america and
africa. but continent separated long after they died, resulting in their separeted
fossil locations.
Ancient fossils of the same species of extinct plants and animals are found in
rocks of the same age but are on continents that are now widely separated
(figure 3). Wegener proposed that the organisms had lived side by side, but
that the lands had moved apart after they were dead and fossilized. He
suggested that the organisms would not have been able to travel across the
oceans.
Fossils of the seed fern Glossopteris were too heavy to be carried so far by wind.
Mesosaurus was a swimming reptile but could only swim in fresh water.
Cynognathus and Lystrosaurus were land reptiles and were unable to swim