answersLogoWhite

0

The major issue in that regard was that Wegener did not have a plausible mechanism by which continents might move.

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Who was the first to say that continents drifted?

Francis Bacon noticed in 1620 that the outlines of the continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but did not suggest a theory of why. Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1780 that the crust of the Earth must be a shell that can break and shift by movements of a fluid below The proper theory of continental drift was suggested by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century. He published a book "The origin of the continents and oceans" proposing the existence of a supercontinent he called Pangaea about 250 million years ago. He was unable to explain a driving mechanism, which is one of the reasons why his theory was at first rejected by the scientific community.


What did Alfred Wegener fail to do?

Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift was initially met with skepticism because he was unable to provide a mechanism for how continents could move. Additionally, his hypothesis lacked strong geological evidence to support the movement of continents being driven by tectonic forces. Ultimately, Wegener's failure to address these concerns resulted in his theory being widely rejected during his lifetime.


Who first proposed the theory of Continental theory?

Francis Bacon noticed in 1620 that the outlines of the continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but did not suggest a theory of why. Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1780 that the crust of the Earth must be a shell that can break and shift by movements of a fluid below The proper theory of continental drift was suggested by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century. He published a book "The origin of the continents and oceans" proposing the existence of a supercontinent he called Pangaea about 250 million years ago. He was unable to explain a driving mechanism, which is one of the reasons why his theory was at first rejected by the scientific community.


What was Alfred Wegener's first presented idea of continental drift?

In 1915 the first edition of The Origin of Continents and Oceans, a book outlining the Continental Drift theory of Alfred Lothar Wegener, a German meterologist, was published; expanded editions were published in 1920, 1922, and 1929. About 300 million years ago, claimed Wegener, the continents had formed a single mass, called Pangaea (from the Greek for "all the Earth"). Pangaea had split, and its pieces had been moving away from each other ever since. Wegener was not the first to suggest that the continents had once been connected, but he was the first to present extensive evidence from several fields. He was subsequently proved right, although he was wrong in one respect; the continents don't drift on their own, they move as part of much larger "plates" of the Earth's surface, much of which is ocean floor.


What evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his theory of continental drift?

Deep-sea mountain ranges had caught his attention. Alfred Wegener's fully developed theory of continental drift attempted to point out evidences that the continents were once joined into a single continent he called Pangaea. Wegener's theory hypothesized that the continents were able to push through the rock of the seafloor to their present positions. As evidence, he noted (as had others before him), of the geographic correlation in coastline perimeters of South America and Africa. This was the feature that led Wegener to investigate other clues. His investigations revealed that mountain ranges in South America and Africa, and strata and composition of coal fields in Europe and North America matched or lined up. Additionally, matching reptilian fossils were found on either side of the ocean, indicating that the continents were once joined together. Although he was unable to find a mechanism for his proposed continental drift theory, he also observed that the more shallow an ocean, the younger its geologic age. It wasn't until the 1950's and 1960's, with the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (and other sea floor mapping discoveries) that Wegener's hypothesis started to become more accepted. The newer science of plate tectonics owes much to Wegener's scientific groundwork. sdhtshehdtubt6yhsx ryjut7iyldrtysvefgb 6u fyu6uerjthe5tjkj jgyuftyk


What was the fatal weakness in wegeners theory?

One of the fatal weaknesses in Wegener's theory of continental drift was the lack of a plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move through the solid rock of Earth's mantle. Additionally, Wegener was unable to adequately explain what forces could be responsible for moving the continents.


What evidence did Alfred use to support his his theory of continental drift?

Deep-sea mountain ranges had caught his attention. Alfred Wegener's fully developed theory of continental drift attempted to point out evidences that the continents were once joined into a single continent he called Pangaea. Wegener's theory hypothesized that the continents were able to push through the rock of the seafloor to their present positions. As evidence, he noted (as had others before him), of the geographic correlation in coastline perimeters of South America and Africa. This was the feature that led Wegener to investigate other clues. His investigations revealed that mountain ranges in South America and Africa, and strata and composition of coal fields in Europe and North America matched or lined up. Additionally, matching reptilian fossils were found on either side of the ocean, indicating that the continents were once joined together. Although he was unable to find a mechanism for his proposed continental drift theory, he also observed that the more shallow an ocean, the younger its geologic age. It wasn't until the 1950's and 1960's, with the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (and other sea floor mapping discoveries) that Wegener's hypothesis started to become more accepted. The newer science of plate tectonics owes much to Wegener's scientific groundwork. sdhtshehdtubt6yhsx ryjut7iyldrtysvefgb 6u fyu6uerjthe5tjkj jgyuftyk


What key evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his hypothesis of continental drift?

Alfred Wegener's fully developed theory of continental drift attempted to point out evidences that the continents were once joined into a single continent he called Pangea. Wegener's theory hypothesized that the continents were able to push through the rock of the seafloor to their present positions. As evidence, he noted, as had others before him, of the geographic correlation in coastline perimeters of South America and Africa. This was the feature that led Wegener to investigate for other evidences. His investigations revealed that mountain ranges in South America and Africa, and strata and composition of coal fields in Europe and North America matched or lined up. Additionally, matching reptilian fossils were found on either side of the ocean, indicating that the continents were once joined together. Although he was unable to find a mechanism for his proposed continental drift theory, he also observed that the more shallow an ocean, the younger its geologic age. It wasn't until the 1950's and 1960's, with the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and other sea floor mapping discoveries that Wegener's hypothesis started to become more accepted. The newer science of plate tectonics owes much to Wegener's scientific groundwork.


How did wegener prove his theory?

Alfred Wegener's fully developed theory of continental drift attempted to point out evidences that the continents were once joined into a single continent he called Pangea. Wegener's theory hypothesized that the continents were able to push through the rock of the seafloor to their present positions.As evidence, he noted, as had others before him, of the geographic correlation in coastline perimeters of South America and Africa. This was the feature that led Wegener to investigate for other evidences. His investigations revealed that mountain ranges in South America and Africa, and strata and composition of coal fields in Europe and North America matched or lined up. Additionally, matching reptilian fossils were found on either side of the ocean, indicating that the continents were once joined together. Although he was unable to find a mechanism for his proposed continental drift theory, he also observed that the more shallow an ocean, the younger its geologic age. It wasn't until the 1950's and 1960's, with the discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and other sea floor mapping discoveries that Wegener's hypothesis started to become more accepted. The newer science of plate tectonics owes much to Wegener's scientific groundwork.Read more: What_evidence_did_Alfred_Wegener_use_to_support_his_theory_of_continental_drift


What is the weakness in Wegener's continental drift hypothesis?

A weakness in Wegener's continental drift hypothesis was the lack of a mechanism explaining how the continents moved. Additionally, he was unable to provide evidence supporting the force that would be strong enough to move continents across the Earth's surface. Lastly, Wegener's theory faced skepticism from the scientific community at the time due to a lack of detailed data and observations supporting his idea of continental drift.


Why do you think wegener was unable to prove the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics before his death in 1930?

i think he was unable to prove his statements because he has never seen this happen


What is one of the reasons Alfred Wegener believed Earth's continents once formed a single massive supercontinent?

Observations of a map of the continents hinted that the continents once fitted together. Later, he would discover fossil evidence to support his theory. But alas, he was unable to explain the mechanism by which the continents could move, and was soundly thrashed by geologists of his time. The discoveries leading to the science of plate tectonics were not made until the mid twentieth century.