Final answer:
Alfred Wegener, a German scientist, formulated the idea of Pangaea and continental drift, suggesting that land masses slowly move. He provided evidence of similarities between fossils and living animal species on different continents. Wegener's proposal of a supercontinent called Pangaea was initially met with skepticism until plate tectonics provided a mechanism for continental drift.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist and astronomer, formulated the idea of Pangaea and suggested that land masses slowly move, a concept known as continental drift. In 1915, Wegener published his findings, which included evidence such as the similarity of fossils found in South America and Africa and resemblances among living animal species on different continents.
He proposed that all continents were once connected in a supercontinent called Pangaea. However, his idea was initially met with skepticism until the development of plate tectonics in the 1960s provided a mechanism for explaining continental drift.