CONTINENTAL DRIFT

AROUND 1910, ALFRED WEGENER ARGUED, BASED ON:

THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN PLANT AND ANIMAL FOSSILS,

THE DISTRIBUTION OF GLACIAL FEATURES (IMPLYING POLAR REGIONS), COAL (IMPLYING TROPICS), AND SALT, GYPSUM, OR SAND DUNE DEPOSITS (IMPLYING DESERTS)

THAT ALL THE CONTINENTS HAD BEEN JOINED 300 MY AGO IN A SINGLE SUPERCONTINENT CALLED PANGAEA (GREEK FOR “ALL LAND”)

THIS WOULD EXPLAIN ALL THE GLACIAL DEPOSITS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE AS DUE TO A SINGLE SOUTH POLAR GLACIER

HE ARGUED THAT PANGAEA LATER RIFTED – BROKE UP – AND DRIFTED APART ABOUT 200 MY AGO INTO TODAY’S CONTINENTS , WITH OCEAN FILLING THE WIDENING GAPS BETWEEN THEM