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Earth Science. Historical Introduction Continental Drift. What do you notice about the continents?. 1596 – Abraham Ortelius, a mapmaker, suggested the Americas were “torn away from Europe and Africa…by earthquakes and floods”. The Continental Drift Theory. Meteorologist Alfred Wegener
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Earth Science Historical IntroductionContinental Drift
1596 – Abraham Ortelius, a mapmaker, suggested the Americas were “torn away from Europe and Africa…by earthquakes and floods”
The Continental Drift Theory • Meteorologist Alfred Wegener • 1915 published “The Origins of Oceans and Continents” • proposed Pangaea
Supercontinent “Pangaea” • Idea based on ‘fit’ of the continents
Wegener’s Evidence • Fossil evidence • Tropical plant fossils in Antarctica • Rock type and structural similarities • Matching mountain ranges on different continents • Paleoclimatic evidence • Glacial deposits in Africa
Criticism of Drift Theory • Theory not accepted in Wegener’s lifetime • He could not explain how such large land masses could be moved Last photo of Wegener before his death in 1930 on a meteorological expedition in Greenland