Wegeners+Proof

Wegener's Proof
Alfred Wegener needed proof in order to make his idea into a theory. He eventually found 4 pieces of evidence.

A He saw the jigsaw fit between South America and Africa. B He found fossils of the same plants and animals on both continents. He felt that they could only exist in both places if the continents were once joined together. C There are mountains similar in age and structure on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean - the Appalachians in the eastern United States and Canada, and similar mountains in the northern British Isles and Europe. These mountains formed about 300 million years ago when North America collided with Europe and northern Africa. D Ice sheets covered southern Africa, India, Australia, and South America about 250 million years ago. How could this ice develop in places that are so warm today? The only explanation seemed to be that at one time the continents were located closer to the South Pole.

The sad thing was (if you remember the Alfred Wegener song!) that no one believed him! It wasn't until Tuzo Wilson brought modern science into the picture and provided much more evidence Wegener was able to provide.

Tuzo realized that it wasn't just the continents that moved. Using new scientific tools and knowledge he found that the earth was made up of about 20 plates and that even the ones under the oceans moved. Tuzo was Canadian and has perhaps made the greatest contribution to geology of all time, except maybe that crazy little man Wegener!

Terms to Know and Explain
Theory Tectonics Convection Volcanism Earthquakes Mountains 