Continental Drift Theory

Seperated at Birth

Alfred Wegener has just come up with a new theory, the idea of all the continents once being connected in a supercontinent, named ‘Pangaea.’ Although, through millions of years, these continents separated in a process named ‘continental drift.’   He has a lot of supporting evidence which I will share with you in this article.

The first piece of evidence that proves his theory is the fact that South America and Africa have such a close fit when put together, just like a jigsaw puzzle. Even more amazingly, fossils of the same plants and animals were found on both continents. These animals were not necessarily ‘good’ swimmers, meaning it would be impossible for them to migrate across the Atlantic Ocean. Wegener realized that these species could only exist in both places if the continents were once connected.

Secondly, there are mountains of similar form and age on both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean. These being the Appalachians in the eastern United States and the Caledonian Mountains in northern Europe. These mountains must have formed around 300 million years ago when North America collided with Europe and north Africa.

Lastly, evidence was found that ice sheets covered southern Africa, India, South America, and Australia around 250 million years ago. These continents must have been closer to the South Pole back then because these are very hot places at the moment; too hot for any ice to form.

From this information, we can see that Wegener may be on the way to making a scientific breakthrough. Currently, Wegener is unable to explain how these continents drifted apart but I am sure with a bit more research he will find the answer. Best of luck!