![]() These elevations were the ocean abyss and the contiental crust. He also observed that the earths crust had two basic elevations. Wegener discredited this hypothesis on the grounds that mountains and valleys don't form in uniform patterns. That is, the earth contracted as it cooled. The thought was that mountains and oceans were caused by shrinkage. The heavy elements sunk to the core while the lighter elements floated to the surface and cooled to form the crust. The leading theory of the time was that the earth formed in a molten state. Wegener also tried to provide a viable mechanism for continental movement, but this posed problems. This would lend credence to the belief that Africa and South America were connected 270 million years ago when the Mesosaurus roamed the Earth. The Mesosaurus was a freshwater animal and would be incapable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Fossils for the Mesosaurus are found only in southern Africa and eastern South America. 270 million years ago) appeared in only two places on Earth. Wegener noticed that fossils from a small lizard from the Paleozoic Era (approx. Next, Wegener used geologic and fossil records to further support his claim. This was the first step for Wegener connecting the two continents (scientifically). It turned out that the continental shelves of the two continents fit together even better than the observable coastlines. Wegener compared the outlines of South America's eastern continental shelf with Africa's western continental shelf. The continental shelf is the shallow ocean lying off the coast of a continent. Most people observed the apparent surface similarities of the two coasts, but Wegener was the first to look into how the continents fit together at their respective continental shelves. The collection of maps, rock formations, and fossil records provided the evidence Wegener needed to connect South America to Africa. The first reason Wegener's hypothesis holds weight is that Wegener used geological evidence to back his claim that Africa and South America were at one time connected. Wegener's assessment sticks out for two reasons. In 1858, Antonio Snider-Pelligrini suggested that the continents had been moved by the biblical flood. In 1620, Francis Bacon called attention to the similarities in the continental outlines of eastern South America and western Africa. This was certainly not a new observation. Wegener noticed that the east coast of South America lined up almost perfectly with the west coast of Africa. One could say that Alfred Wegener is the father of Plate Tectonic Theory. Specific contributions to plate tectonic theory- Continental Drift Wegener died in 1930 of a heart attack caused by overexertion while leading his third expedition in Greenland. His second trip in 1912 featured the longest crossing of an ice cap ever taken at the time and resulted in the publication of multiple glaciological and meteorological volumes. Wegener took three trips to Greenland in his lifetime. One of his primary ambitions was arctic exploration, particularly in Greenland. Wegener was somewhat of an adventurous spirit. ![]() In 1924, he became the chair of the meteorology and geophysics department at the University of Graz in Austria. He succeeded Koppen as the director of the Meteorological Research Department of the Marine Observatory at Hamburg after World War I. Wegener married Elsa Koppen, daughter of meteorologist Wladimir Peter Koppen in 1913. However, Wegener's true passions were in the fields of meteorology and arctic exploration. Ironically, Wegener was not schooled in geology. He was the son of an evangelical minister. Alfred Wegener was born on Novemin Berlin.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |