Continental Drift

Question 1

What is the name of the person that thought of Continental Drift?

Answer 1

A German Meteorologist named Alfred Wegener

Question 2

What is the name of the theory that stated that Earth’s continents moved?

Answer 2

Continental Drift

Question 3

What were the three main pieces of evidence Wegener used to prove his theory?

Answer 3

1. Land features
2. Fossil Records
3. Ancient Climate zones

Question 4

How do land features prove Wegener’s theory?

Answer 4

Wegener thought that the mountain ranges occurring on opposite continents matched up pretty well when brought together. This perfect aligning of mountain ranges showed that the continents were once together.

Question 5

How do fossil records prove Wegener’s theory?

Answer 5

Some old fossils of certain dinosaurs were found in places like India, Madagascar, Antarctica, and Africa. These dinosaurs obviously couldn’t move that far, so this shows how the continents may have been together years ago.

Question 6

How do ancient climate zones prove Wegeners theory?

Answer 6

Some landmasses like South America, Africa, Antarctica, Madagascar, and India show evidence of ancient glaciers, and that doesn’t make sense today because glaciers aren’t found in places like Africa and India. This shows how the continents may have once been together not around the equator.

Question 7

Why did Wegener’s theory not be initially believed?

Answer 7

Because he could not prove the force that moves the continents.