Pangea! It was the supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago. According to Alfred Wegener’s theory, long before us humans existed all of the continents used to be one large landmass. Who is Alfred Wegener you might ask? Alfred Wegener was a German polar researcher, geophysicist, and meteorologist born in Berlin on November 1, 1880. I chose to research about Alfred Wegener’s life and his struggles because we are currently focusing on the continental drift theory in science class. He is known as the founding father of one of the most important theories in science history, the continental drift. It took quite a long time for other scientists to believe him and sadly he died a few days after his fiftieth birthday without knowing if
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During his lifetime, he gathered as much evidence as he could to prove his hypothesis. In the text it states how Wegener found evidence that suggested identical fossils of plants and animals were found on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. He also found evidence that suggested the rock sequences were strikingly similar on different continents. Wegener didn’t have it easy when it came to convincing other scientists about his hypothesis. The major flaw in his proposal was that he didn’t have the answer to what force made the continents move into the places that they are in currently. Wegener’s hypothesis about the force was that the continents moved through the Earth’s crust like icebergs plowing through ice sheets. This was not believable to many because it was noted by a scientist that plowing through oceanic crust would distort continents causing the Earth to stop rotating in less than a year.
In conclusion, Alfred Wegener was an important person in science history due to his great accomplishments. He was the first person to establish a complete hypothesis about the theory of all the continents being together at a point in history. Though he faced many struggles in convincing others about his hypothesis, in the end his hard work was all worth it because his hypothesis is now a theory that people all around the world learn and teach to others. Wegener’s hard work payed off in the end and if he
During his lifetime, he gathered as much evidence as he could to prove his hypothesis. In the text it states how Wegener found evidence that suggested identical fossils of plants and animals were found on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. He also found evidence that suggested the rock sequences were strikingly similar on different continents. Wegener didn’t have it easy when it came to convincing other scientists about his hypothesis. The major flaw in his proposal was that he didn’t have the answer to what force made the continents move into the places that they are in currently. Wegener’s hypothesis about the force was that the continents moved through the Earth’s crust like icebergs plowing through ice sheets. This was not believable to many because it was noted by a scientist that plowing through oceanic crust would distort continents causing the Earth to stop rotating in less than a year.
In conclusion, Alfred Wegener was an important person in science history due to his great accomplishments. He was the first person to establish a complete hypothesis about the theory of all the continents being together at a point in history. Though he faced many struggles in convincing others about his hypothesis, in the end his hard work was all worth it because his hypothesis is now a theory that people all around the world learn and teach to others. Wegener’s hard work payed off in the end and if he