What did Alfred Wegener discover?
Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift – the idea that Earth’s continents move. Despite publishing a large body of compelling fossil and rock evidence for his theory between 1912 and 1929, it was rejected by most other scientists.
What was Alfred Wegener’s theory lacking?
The main issue with Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory was he did not have a mechanism behind the drifting of continents. He had a substantial amount of evidence that made sense; nonetheless, without a driving force behind it, the scientific community simply discredited his entire idea.
What is Alfred Wegener most famous for?
What is Alfred Wegener best known for? German meteorologist and geophysicist Alfred Wegener was the first person to formulate a complete statement of the continental drift hypothesis.
How did Alfred Wegener prove his theory?
Wegener supported his theory by demonstrating the biological and geological similarities between continents. South America and Africa contain fossils of animals found only on those two continents, with corresponding geographic ranges.
What was Arthur Holmes theory?
Holmes primary contribution was his proposed theory that convection occurred within the Earth’s mantle, which explained the push and pull of continent plates together and apart. He also assisted scientists in oceanographic research in the 1950s, which publicized the phenomenon known as sea floor spreading.
What Pangaea means?
all the Earth
Pangea, also spelled Pangaea, in early geologic time, a supercontinent that incorporated almost all the landmasses on Earth. Its name is derived from the Greek pangaia, meaning “all the Earth.”
Is Pangaea a fact?
Modern geology has shown that Pangea did actually exist. Within the next 250 million years, Africa and the Americas will merge with Eurasia to form a supercontinent that approaches Pangean proportions.
Was Alfred Wegener married?
Else Koppen Wegenerm. 1913–1930
Alfred Wegener/Spouse
What are the 4 pieces of evidence that Alfred Wegener used to support his theory of continental drift?
The four pieces of evidence for the continental drift include continents fitting together like a puzzle, scattering ancient fossils, rocks, mountain ranges, and the old climatic zones’ locations.
What was Arthur Holmes famous for?
On January 14, 1890, British geologist Arthur Holmes was born. Holmes pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals and was the first earth scientist to grasp the mechanical and thermal implications of mantle convection, which led eventually to the acceptance of plate tectonics.
When was Arthur Holmes theory recognized?
In 1913, before even earning his doctoral degree, Holmes proposed the first geological time scale in his book The Age of the Earth, based on the fairly recently discovered phenomenon of radioactivity. Holmes made an estimate of Earth’s age that was far older than anyone had suggested until then—4 billion years.