Alfred Wegener

Wegener Solves a Puzzle
Pangea Lesson

By
Brandon Pittman Jr., Jameson Reese, Connor Donaldson & Losi Fonoimoana

Alfred Wegener, a meteorologist from Berlin, Germany, had realized something in his studies. Wegener had come to a theory that the Earth once was a whole. Although he was not the first to theorize this, he wanted to be the first to investigate. He saw that the coastlines of South America and Africa seemed to fit just right. He saw that numerous continents could even act as puzzle pieces in a large scale picture. He called the puzzle piece, Pangea.

Wegener's Discovery

Alfred also found that many different continents had similar fossils and plants. Some were located at the eastern coast of North America, others at western coasts of Europe. He thought these two continents must have been connected at some point in time, estimating at about 300 million years ago. Wegener further identified that South America & Africa also had rock of the same origin. He saw how rocks and mountain chains could go across some continents. Now he was getting more information to back-up his theory.

" The forces which displace continents are the same as those which produce great fold-mountain ranges." 

Alfred Lothar Wegener

The Conclusion of his Theory

Although, many geologists didn't support this theory because he didn't have a good enough explanation about how the continent pieces actually moved. He had inferred that they moved past the ocean's floor, like when ships go between the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean. They said that the continents could not have gone through the large body of water. His theory was rejected by these geologists.

Other geologists, on the other hand, came up with another reason, land bridges. That they connected all the continents all at the same time at the bottom of the ocean. Geologists say that he was right about the similarities of Africa & South America, and observations at the Swiss Alps. But, sadly, Alfred did not live long enough to see people accept his theory.

Present Time Analysis

Now in present time, we call this scientific theory, plate tectonics. Many people, across the world, openly welcome this theory. It was made with Alfred Wegener's ideas, evidence and acceptance.

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