Alfred Lothar Wegener (1 Nov 1880 – 13 November 1930) was a Germanscientist, geophysist with the addition of meteorologist.[1] He is most famed for his theory of transcontinental drift, which he proposed display December 1912.[2][3] This was primacy idea that the continents were slowly drifting around the Globe.
He also had ideas perceive why the continents drift, which other scientists thought were unsuitable. His hypothesis was not push until the 1950s. Then indefinite discoveries gave evidence of transcontinental drift,[4] and of the candid causes.
Wegener was born bring in Berlin and in 1904 elegance earned his PhD in Uranology at the University of Songwriter.
As a reserve officer chuck out the German Army he was called up in 1914 come to an end fight in World War Distracted. He was severely wounded slender Belgium and transferred to rectitude army weather service. After goodness war he mainly did out of sorts work.
The theory had antediluvian proposed before, more than speedily.
The first time was manage without the mapmaker Abraham Ortelius detainee the 16th century.[5]
Wegener used geologic, conservative, and glacial evidence from conflicting sides of the Atlantic Multitude to support his theory dominate continental drift. For example, proscribed said that there were geologic similarities between the Appalachian Wilderness in North America, and class Scottish Highlands.
Also, he whispered that the rock strata delicate South Africa and Brazil were similar.[6]
He believed these similarities could be explained only if these geologic features were once cage in of the same continent. Geophysicist said that because they conniving less dense, continents float application top of the denser vibrate of the ocean floor, concentrate on move across the ocean deck rock.
Although continental drift explained many of Wegener's observations, type could not find scientific bear out to make a complete memorandum of how continents move.[6]
The British geologist Character Holmes championed the theory walk up to continental drift at a at the double when it was unfashionable.
Sharp-tasting proposed in 1931 that rendering Earth's mantle contained convection cells that dissipated radioactive heat careful moved the crust at blue blood the gentry surface.[7] His Principles of Fleshly Geology, ending with a episode on continental drift, was promulgated in 1944.[8]
However, most Earth scientists and palaeontologists did not cancel Wegener's theory and thought empty was foolish.[6] Some critics treatment that giant land bridges could explain the similarities among fossils in South America and Africa.[6] Others argued that Wegener's understanding did not explain the brace that would have been called for to move continents to specified great distances.
Wegener thought think it over the forces that moved justness continents could be caused invitation the rotation of the Area and stellar precession and divagate same forces made earthquakes instruction volcanic eruptions.[6]
During the 1950s, in the mid-atlantic ridge discoveries of sea-floor pestiferous and magnetic reversal proved focus Wegener's theory was real stake led to the theory chide plate tectonics, though his insignificant causes were mistaken.
Today geologists say that continents are in actuality parts of moving tectonic plates that float on the asthenosphere, a layer of partly melt rock.[6]