110 likes | 197 Views
Continental Drift. Who was Alfred Wagener?. German scientist that proposed that the continents were all once connected. He named the supercontinent , Pangaea. His idea said that the continents are slowly moving. Why did scientists not accept Wagener’s idea?.
E N D
Who was Alfred Wagener? • German scientist that proposed that the continents were all once connected. • He named the supercontinent , Pangaea. • His idea said that the continents are slowly moving.
Why did scientists not accept Wagener’s idea? • He could not provide enough evidence. • He was not a geologist. • He died trying to prove his idea.
Evidence • Landforms • Fossils • Climate
Landforms • South American and African mountain ranges line up and match. • Coal fields in Europe and North America also match.
Fossils • A fossil is any trace of an ancient organism that has preserved in rock. • Glossopteris, a fernlike plant that flourished 250 million years ago. These were found in Africa, South America, Australia, India, and Antarctica.
Climate • Areas of tropical regions now have shown evidence of glaciation. • Areas that are now polar regions, show evidence of tropical climates.
Rejection • Wegener did not provide enough evidence to satisfy scientists about Pangaea. • In the 1960’s , enough evidence was finally collected to convince scientists.