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The Continental drift theory posits that the shoreline of many continents were at one time interlocked. Through tectonic movement and axis shift, the continents have drifted apart as is evidenced by similar animal fossils on differing continents.

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Why Wegener interested in finding fossils of the same plants and animals on two different continents?

The answer is quite simple. Millions and billions of years ago, the Earth was one land. This was called Pangea. However, due to plate techtonics, they move the land around and over time, these lands split apart. After enough time has elasped, these gaps would become oceans. For example, when the continents were together as pangaea the animals roamed freely, but when they split apart the animals were split up. So a plant or animal fossil may be the same on the eastern coast of South America as it is on the western coast of Africa.


What evidence did wegener gather to support his continental drift hypothesis?

Well it wasn't so much climate as the fossils that have been found. Fossils have been found in Antarctica of plants that only occur in tropical climates so at one point it must have had a tropical climate. That is the most dramatic example but there are more subtle ones that led him to believe that the continents, at one point, must have been in different locations on the Earth and then moved to where they currently are.


What is Wegeners hypothesis?

Wegener hypothesized that, on earth, there was only one continent called Pangea, but it split into the continents we have now.Improved Another Answer:Wegener's hypothesis was that long 225 million years ago, there was a supercontinent called Pangaea (All the continents were all together).Wegener saw that South America and Africa looked like they could fit together like puzzle pieces. He then found that there were fossils of animals in a warm climate and it was also in a very cold climate. He thought, "How could that be? The animal couldn't have lived in two different kinds of climates and how could it have swam across the sea?!"


What is wegner's theory?

'''It might be long but it has useful info!''' '''Alfred Wegner's Theory''' Wegner's (pronounced vegner because he was German) theory was that millions and millions of years ago, the seven continents were all joined together in a large continent called Pangaea. Pangaea means "whole earth", do you get it? Obviously, the continents are not joined together now. This explains ''continental drift''; another part of Wegner's theory. Continental drift is the slow movement of continents. Pangaea's continents slowly started drifting away from each other to where they are now. Many people think Wegner's theory is whacky, he has proof though. '''Proof:''' '''Evidence 1:''' Don't the continents look like a puzzle? If you look on a world map, doesn't it look like South America can fit perfectly into Africa? Many oher continents can do that; look at a world map closely. '''Evidence 2:''' Now, all the continents are very well apart. How come north Africa shares the same fossils as South America? Many countries share the same fossils, but they are on the other side of the word. The only way that could be is if all the continents were once together but separated by continental drift. Go on any search engine and look up images of Pangaea; it's pretty cool. It makes a lot of sense, right? I'm pretty sure Wegner is right. But is you don't believe in his theory of Pangaea or continental drift, look it up and get more research on it. I hope this was helpful and informational for you! Thanks!


Which of the following can fossils teach us about the earth?

Fossils indicate several things about Earth's past: - the organisms that lived then, and by extension the organisms in their food chain - the climate in the area where the organism lived - how plate tectonics have moved landmasses that once were joined together

Related Questions

How do we know the continents were once joined?

Evidence of continental drift includes the matching shapes of continents, similar fossils found on different continents, and geological features that align across separate continents. These clues suggest that the continents were once joined together in a single landmass called Pangea.


Used to by Wegner to establish continental drift?

Alfred Wegener used evidence such as the fit of continents like puzzle pieces, matching rock formations and fossils across continents, and similarities in geological features to support his theory of continental drift. These pieces of evidence suggested that the continents were once joined together in a single supercontinent, which later drifted apart to their current positions.


How can fossils be clues to the continental drift?

Fossils can be clues to continental drift because certain plant and animal species are found only in specific regions, and when the continents were connected these species could migrate between them. Matching fossils found on different continents can suggest that these landmasses were once joined together before drifting apart. Additionally, identical or related fossils found on separate continents can indicate a common ancestry when the continents were once together and later separated.


How do fossils support the theory of pangaea?

Fossils of similar plants and animals found on continents that are now widely separated suggest that these landmasses were once connected. The distribution of these fossils across different continents supports the theory of Pangaea, which posits that all current continents were once joined together in a supercontinent. This evidence helps explain how species were able to migrate and evolve across different landmasses before continental drift separated them.


How do fossild indicate that the continents have moved with time?

If specific fossils are found in two separated continents, it means that both continents were once joined.


What do the glossopteris fossils tell us about the early position of the continents?

shows that all three continents were once connected (joined) together. because the 'exact' same fossil types were found in all three different continents, which are now split from each other.


How do scientist know that all of the continents were once joined together?

Scientists use evidence such as matching geological formations, fossils, and remnants of ancient climates found on separate continents to support the theory of plate tectonics. By analyzing these pieces of evidence, scientists can infer that the continents were once part of a single supercontinent called Pangaea.


What evidence is there to show that the continents were joined together?

because when continental drift happened it split fossils and when people found the fossils in one continent.It matched with other continents fossils.making a hypothesis that they were once joined together...................................your welcomeif you write this that would be bad and you will go to jail....good luck dick sucker


What is same on different continents even though separated by oceans?

There are some same species of both plants and animals located on separated continents. This is because the continents were all at one point joined together in one super continent: Pangea, but separated some 200 million years ago. fossils


What do the glossopteris fossils tells us about the early position of the continents?

That they must have been joined up in the past because the same fossils could not exist on the continents given their current position.


What do the glossopteris fossils tell us about early positions of the continents?

That they must have been joined up in the past because the same fossils could not exist on the continents given their current position.


What do the glossopteris fossils tell us about the early positions of the continents?

That they must have been joined up in the past because the same fossils could not exist on the continents given their current position.