Because he had no physical mechanism to explain how his "islands" of rock could go freely sailing about where they wanted to through the solid rock of the ocean floor. That was how his theory was seen at the time.
The theory of continental drift and plate tectonics
he had no proof how the continents drifted or what made them drift
One main reason scientists rejected Wegener's theory of continental drift was the lack of a plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move through the oceanic crust. Additionally, there was insufficient evidence at the time to support the idea of continents moving over time. The theory also faced criticism due to Wegener's background as a meteorologist, not a geologist.
Alfred Wegener's theory was rejected because he could not prove how the continents actually moved. He showed evidence of fossils from Africa and South America, but still coul not prove the convection surrents going on underground. Other geologists did not believe in his theory just because he was a meteorologist, not a geologist like themselves.
Wegener's theory of continental drift was initially rejected because he couldn't provide a mechanism to explain how the continents moved. The scientific community at the time also didn't fully accept the idea of large land masses drifting across the Earth's surface. It wasn't until the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s that Wegener's ideas gained widespread acceptance.
Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, suggesting that Earth's continents were once joined together in a single landmass called Pangea and have since drifted apart. His theory was rejected because he could not provide a plausible mechanism for how the continents could move across the ocean floor. It was not until the discovery of plate tectonics that Wegener's ideas were accepted and incorporated into the scientific understanding of Earth's geology.
Alfred Wegener's theory was rejected because he could not prove how the continents actually moved. He showed evidence of fossils from Africa and South America, but still coul not prove the convection surrents going on underground. Other geologists did not believe in his theory just because he was a meteorologist, not a geologist like themselves.
Most scientists rejected Wegener's theory of continental drift because he lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move. Additionally, his theory did not align with the dominant geological beliefs of the time, and there was a lack of concrete evidence to support his ideas. It was only with the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s that Wegener's ideas gained widespread acceptance.
Most scientists rejected Wegener's theory of continental drift for nearly half a century because he lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how continents moved. Additionally, his ideas went against existing geological beliefs at the time, and he faced strong opposition from influential geologists who defended the prevailing theory of stationary continents. It wasn't until the development of the theory of plate tectonics, which provided a mechanism for the movement of continents, that Wegener's ideas gained widespread acceptance.
Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift at the beginning of the 20th century. His idea was that the Earth's continents were once joined together, but gradually moved apart over millions of years. The idea was rejected at first as he was a Meteorologist and not regarded as a proper scientist.
Alfred Wegener faced criticism because his theory of continental drift lacked a convincing mechanism to explain how continents moved. The scientific community at the time rejected Wegener's ideas because he couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation for what caused the continents to drift. It wasn't until the theory of plate tectonics was developed in the 1960s that Wegener's ideas gained widespread acceptance.
Scientists largely rejected Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift due to the lack of a credible mechanism explaining how continents could move across the Earth's surface. Wegener proposed that continents plowed through oceanic crust, but this was inconsistent with the understanding of geology at the time. Additionally, there was insufficient evidence to support his claims, and many geologists favored the prevailing theory of static continents. It wasn't until the development of plate tectonics in the mid-20th century that Wegener's ideas gained acceptance.