What type of evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his continental drift theory?

What type of evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his continental drift theory?

Wegener used fossil evidence to support his continental drift hypothesis. The fossils of these organisms are found on lands that are now far apart. Grooves and rock deposits left by ancient glaciers are found today on different continents very close to the equator.

How did Wegener explain his theory of continental drift?

Wegener suggested that perhaps the rotation of the Earth caused the continents to shift towards and apart from each other. 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.

What contributions did Alfred Wegener make towards science?

Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift – the idea that Earth’s continents move. Despite publishing a large body of compelling fossil and rock evidence for his theory between 1912 and 1929, it was rejected by most other scientists.

What evidence best supports the plate tectonics theory?

Evidence from fossils, glaciers, and complementary coastlines helps reveal how the plates once fit together. Fossils tell us when and where plants and animals once existed. Some life “rode” on diverging plates, became isolated, and evolved into new species.

How does Alfred Wegener support his continental drift theory?

Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, Another important piece of evidence in the Continental Drift theory is the fossil relevance. There are various examples of fossils found on separate continents and in no other regions.

What kind of evidence did Alfred Wegener use?

Evidence. Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, including geological “fit” and fossil evidence. It is important to know that the following specific fossil evidence was not brought up by Wegener to support his theory. Wegener himself did not collect the fossils but he called attention to the idea

Who was the scientist who proposed Continental Drift?

Alfred Wegener was the scientist who proposed the Continental Drift Theory in the early twentieth century. Simply put, his hypothesis proposed that the continents had once been joined, and over time had drifted apart.

Why did Wegener discount the land bridge theory?

Wegener also discounted the then-popular land bridge theory as an explanation for the distribution of plants and animals. An ancient network of land bridges would also not be able to explain why certain veins of ore run across Africa, stop at the ocean and then pick up again in South America.