Continental Drift

• Introduced by Alfred Wegener in 1915
• First theory about continental movement based on:

  • Fossil evidence - Fossils in different continents contain the same plants as ones found in different continents. This suggested they had similar climates. E.g. Tropical plants found in Antarctica and Reptiles which cant swim found over expanses of ocean
  • Mountain ranges and rock types - Ranges with similar rock types were found oceans apart
  • Thought the continents floated and drifted on water, so this theory was rejected as they didn’t know the movement cause
• Wegner's hypothesis was not accepted until the 60s when seafloor spreading was discovered.