Question

Discussion: Alfred Wegener's Continental Drift Theory

After watching the video, think about how Wegener was able to form his theory, how he collected his evidence and the amount of time this took for him. What obstacles did he face? Why did it take Wegener a long time to convince other scientists that the continents were moving? Use the information from the video, notes from previous class sessions, and/or other reliable internet resources (be sure to share the source).
Your discussion post should be at least 3-5 sentences, and completely answer the discussion question:
Would Wegener have been more or less successful in convincing scientists today than he was when he proposed his ideas? Why or why not?
Once you have posted your discussion and it has been approved, read and reply to at least one other post. When replying, state how you agree/disagree with the student's post. How yours was similar or different than his/hers.

Answer 1

The theory of continental drift states that the continents were once joined together in one large landmass. This landmass has science drifted apart to their current positions. Wegener's theory was not taken seriously until scientist proposed the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics provided the mechanism for plate movement and his proposed pieces of evidence started to make more sense to the scientific community. Wegener was not taken seriously until science was able to provide a mechanism for plate movement. He would have been taken more seriously today because advances in technology would be better able to corroborate his findings.