Essay about Alfred Wegener and the Continental Drift

Alfred Wegener was a meteorologist and astronomer. He was the first scientist to introduce the theory of the continental drift. Wegener theorized that at one time the continents were one large landmass or Pangaea that had drifted apart. His ideas were initially rejected by other scientists. It was not until long after Wegener’s death that proof was obtained and his theory verified. The Life of Alfred Wegener Alfred was born in Germany in 1880 and led a very busy life. He received a PhD in astronomy but quickly moved on to meteorology. He and his brother experimented with kites and balloons. They set a record flying a balloon during his first expedition to Greenland in 1906 (PBS, 1998, para. 2). Alfred taught meteorology and†¦show more content†¦Wegener’s theory was met with much controversy by other scientists. The fact that he was primarily a meteorologist and astronomer rather than a geologist further discounted his theory. Wegener provided numerous explanations and documentation in support of his continental drift theory. He provided two fossils as evidence. Glossopteris because it had been found on several continents that were widely separated. Glossopteris, also known as a seed fern fossil, was too large to be transported by the wind. The other was Mesosaurus which was a small aquatic freshwater reptile (Lutgens Tarbuck, 2014, p. 154). Other scientists believed this was possible because land bridges had once existed or explained it away as drafting. Wegener most likely did not offer fossil sharks or jellyfish as evidence due to the fact that these fish inhabit all major oceans on the planet. He also used an Austrian geologist’s theory that the continental crust, sial, was lighter than sima and the sial layer could move across the ocean floor (Healey, 2006, para. 15). Wegener further stated that the tides could cause the continents to move and later came to the conclusion that magma could also be responsible for the movement. Wegener made two more journeys to Greenland to conduct meteorological and geophysical studies. His final trek in 1930 included the examination of the glacial sheets to provide further evidence regardingShow MoreRelatedContinental Drift Theory: Alfred Wegener550 Words   |  2 Pages Alfred Wegener gave many facts that help prove his Continental Drift theory. Wegener’s supporting facts include fossil evidence, land features, climate evidence, and sea floor spreading. In the beginning of Wegener’s research to prove his Continental Drift theory, he found clues from fossil evidence from millions of years ago. Different animals, such as the Cynognathus, Lystrasaurus, and Mesosaurus gave proof that the continents have moved. The Cynognathus was a land animal, whose fossils whereRead MoreAlfred Wegener: Theory of Continental Drift964 Words   |  4 PagesGerman meteorologist Alfred Wegener wasnt the first to perceive similitude’s right around the landmasses that recommended the landmasses may have once been associated. He began with, be that as it may, to assemble brainstorms and confirmation into an obvious theory, which he transformed into a treatise entitled The Framing of the Major Emphasizes of the Earths outside layer (Landmasses and Seas). In 1912, at experience 32, Wegener should have appeared a bald-faced upstart to the regarded partsRead MoreThe Current Shape Of Earths Landmasses Was First Proposed By Abraham Ortelius1699 Wor ds   |  7 PagesQuestion 1 The idea of Continental Drift to explain the current shape of Earths landmasses was first proposed by Abraham Ortelius in 1596. He proposed the idea to highlight the geometrical coincidences between America and Europe-Africa. In his work Thesaurus Geographicus he suggested that the Americas were â€Å"torn away from Europe and Africa†¦by earthquakes and floods†, and that â€Å"the vestiges of rupture reveal themselves, if someone brings forward a map of the world and considers carefully the coastsRead MoreContinental Drift Essay682 Words   |  3 PagesContinental Drift Were the continents of this planet always situated the way they are today? Could there have been one supercontinent that over time broke off into the continents we know now? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Pangaea as a hypothetical land area believed to have once connected the landmasses of the southern hemisphere with those of the northern hemisphere (Definition of Pangaea). This theory, discovered by Alfred Wegener, was known as the drift theory. Wegener used the fit of theRead MoreThe Theory That Earth s Outer Shell881 Words   |  4 Pagesdeveloped in the 1950’s through the 1970’s. The origins of this theory comes from the continental drift theory, which was introduced in 1912 by German scientist Alfred Wegener. Alfred Wegener was born on November 1, 1880 in Berlin, Germany. Wegner’s father was a classical languages teacher and pastor. Wegener did really well and school and it was clear that he would go on and continue his education at an university. Wegener attended Humboldt University of Berlin in 1899. He studied and then eventuallyRead MorePlate Tectonics: Theoretical Aspects and the Geological History of North America860 Words   |  3 Pageson Plate Tectonics, which help understand how Earth is built and its internal functioning mechanisms. Central to this theory is the fact that Earths surface is made up of several large tectonic plates and a few smaller ones, which can be either continental or oceanic, and do not necessarily have the same boundaries as the continents or oceans. These plates shift over long periods of time, movements caused by a force resulted from the planets internal heat energy convecting mantle. There are threeRead MoreScience Is All About Discovery, And Learning Why Things Happen Essay1583 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscovering information that will change how people view the Earth. One of the most important discoveries is how our continents were once together and how they divided. One of the earliest theories of how our continents were divided came from scientist Alfred Wegener in 1915. His theory suggested that the world had at one time been a single continent for most of geologic time (Pangea), but eventually, the continents separated and drifted away from each other. His theory was based on the hypothesis thatRead MoreUsing Paleomagnetic Data For The World s Landmasses Of The Late Triassic Early Jurassic1389 Words   |  6 PagesTriassic-Early Jurassic. This concept of a supercontinent was originally proposed by Alfred Wegener (Wegener, 1915). He suggested that all continents assembled into a single supercontinent, approximately 300 million years ago, and then according to the theory of plate tectonics, began to break apart 175 million years ago (Rogers et al., 2004) Immense geologic and geophysical evidence have been presented, by Wegener and others, to support this theory for the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. However whenRead MoreEffects on Motion and Plate Techtonics Essay examples776 Words   |  4 PagesHoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission. Part 1 This diagram was similar to one Alfred Wegener drew to show the distribution of continents 300 million years ago. His theory of continental drift was met with skepticism in the scientific community. 1. Describe three forms of evidence Wegener used to support his ideas of continental drift. †¢ Continental Margins (Visually land masses fit together like a puzzle) †¢ Rock layers (similarity on the coast lines as wellRead MoreThe Discovery Of Alfred Wegener1075 Words   |  5 PagesDid you ever wonder who discovered that the continents used to fit together as a super continent, known as Pangea? His name was Alfred Wegener. His discovery made him famous in the science world. Alfred Wegener was born on November 1, 1880. When he was young, he was believed to be very smart. Wegener received conventional education, which led him to attend grammar school in Berlin. There’s not that much known about his childhood, just that he was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. At 18,