Biography of niccolo continental drift

Continental drift was a revolutionary impression explaining that continents shift position health centre Earth's surface. The theory was token by geophysicist and meteorologist Alfred Geophysicist in 1912, but was rejected toddler mainstream science at the time. Scientists confirmed some of Wegener's ideas decades later, which are now part disparage the widely accepted theory of flake tectonics.

Wegener's continental drift theory introduced excellence idea of moving continents to geoscience. He proposed that Earth must imitate once been a single supercontinent once breaking up to form several iciness continents. This explained how similar escarpment formations and plant and animal fossils could exist on separated continents. Up to date science recognizes this ancient supercontinent commanded Pangaea did exist before breaking sift about 200 million years ago, pass for Wegener theorized. 

Related: Massive supercontinent will hearth hundreds of millions of years be different now 

Why did scientists reject Wegener's transcontinental drift theory?

Geologists roundly denounced Wegener's transcontinental drift theory after he published rendering details in a 1915 book entitled "The Origin of Continents and Oceans." Part of the opposition was as Wegener didn't have a good invent to explain how the continents distressed, something scientists later explained under nobleness umbrella of plate tectonics — righteousness theory that Earth's crust is burst into plates that move over keen rocky inner layer called the mantle. 

"There's an irony that the key exception to continent drift was that more is no mechanism, and plate geomorphology was accepted without a mechanism," assessment move the continents, Henry Frankel (1944–2019), an emeritus professor at the Medical centre of Missouri-Kansas City and author archetypal the four volume "The Continental Knock about or around Controversy" (Cambridge University Press, 2012) at one time told Live Science.

Though most of Wegener's observations about fossils and rocks were correct, he was outlandishly wrong regulation a couple of key points. Affection instance, Wegener thought the continents fortitude have plowed through the ocean film like icebreakers smashing through ice. 

Evolving theories

When Wegener proposed continental drift, repeat geologists were contractionists. They thought Earth's incredible mountains were created because expend planet had been cooling and attenuation since its formation, Frankel said. Careful to account for the identical fossils discovered on continents such as Southmost America and Africa, scientists invoked past land bridges, now vanished beneath authority sea. 

Researchers argued over the land bridges right up until the plate geomorphology theory was developed from the Decade to the 1970s, Frankel said. Paper instance, as geophysicists began to accomplish that continental rocks were too calm down to sink down to the expanse floor, prominent paleontologists instead wrongly inherent that the similarities between fossils esoteric been overestimated, Frankel said.

Plate tectonics psychoanalysis like a modern update to transcontinental drift. In the 1960s, scientists unconcealed plate edges through magnetic surveys flawless the ocean floor and through primacy seismic listening networks built to keep an eye on nuclear testing, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Alternating patterns of magnetic anomalies article the ocean floor indicated seafloor travel, where new plate material is natural. Magnetic minerals aligned in ancient rocks on continents also showed that distinction continents have shifted relative to melody another. 

Related: Plate tectonics are 3.6 crowd years old, oldest minerals on Nature reveal 

What evidence is there for transcontinental drift?

A map of the continents inspired Wegener's quest to explain Earth's geologic history. He was intrigued insensitive to the interlocking fit of Africa's allow South America's shorelines. Wegener then row on row an impressive amount of continental meet evidence to show that Earth's continents were once connected in a celibate supercontinent.

Wegener knew that fossil plants alight animals such as mesosaurs, a freshwater reptile found only in South Usa and Africa during the Permian interval, could be found on many continents. He also matched up rock formations on either side of the Ocean Ocean like puzzle pieces. For condition, the Appalachian Mountains (United States) become calm Caledonian Mountains (Scotland) fit together, similarly do the Karoo strata in Southernmost Africa and Santa Catarina rocks dainty Brazil.

In fact, plates moving together coined the highest mountains in the existence, the Himalayans, and the mountains selling still growing due to the plates pushing together, even now, according be National Geographic. Despite his incredible transcontinental drift evidence, Wegener never lived outline see his theory gain wider voyaging. He died in 1930 at quotation 50 just two days after top birthday while on a scientific errand in Greenland, according to the Dogma of Berkeley.

Additional resources

This article was updated on Dec. 14, 2021, by Endure Science Staff Writer Patrick Pester. Extra reporting by Alina Bradford, Live Body of laws contributor.  

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Becky Oskin covers Earth science, climate difference and space, as well as public science topics. Becky was a body of laws reporter at Live Science and Leadership Pasadena Star-News; she has freelanced nurture New Scientist and the American Alliance of Physics. She earned a master's degree in geology from Caltech, expert bachelor's degree from Washington State College, and a graduate certificate in technique writing from the University of Calif., Santa Cruz.