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What evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support continental drift?
Alfred Wegener brought together several lines of evidence to support his theory of continental drift. One is quite simple — that the continents look like they could “fit” together, much like puzzle pieces that have drifted apart.
Why was Alfred Wegener’s continental drift theory rejected?
However, his theory was rejected because of two reasons: 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 was Alfred Wegener’s evidence?
German scientist, Alfred Wegener, made a theory that all of the continents once formed a “supercontinent” that he called Pangea. His theory, like all theories, was supported by evidence that has been discovered. His evidence consisted of glacial plains, and continents fitting together like Jigsaw puzzle pieces .
What evidence supports the theory of continental drift?
One type of evidence that strongly supported the Theory of Continental Drift is the fossil record. Fossils of similar types of plants and animals in rocks of a similar age have been found on the shores of different continents, suggesting that the continents were once joined.
What are the three pieces of evidence for continental drift?
In the early part of the 20th century, scientists began to put together evidence that the continents could move around on Earth’s surface. The evidence for continental drift included the fit of the continents; the distribution of ancient fossils, rocks, and mountain ranges; and the locations of ancient climatic zones.
What evidence did Wegener use in his theory?
Wegener’s theory. Wegener used geologic, fossil, and glacial evidence from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean to support his theory of continental drift. For example, he said that there were geological similarities between the Appalachian Mountains in North America, and the Scottish Highlands.
How did Alfred Wegener contribute to continental drift?
Alfred Wegener proposed two different mechanisms for continental drift. One was based on the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the earth and another a ‘tidal argument’ based on the tidal attraction of the sun and the moon. These explanations could easily be proven inadequate.