Henry Hess
Henry Hess
Some scientists initially doubted the theory of continental drift due to a lack of plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move. Additionally, the scientific community was initially resistant to the idea proposed by Alfred Wegener, as it challenged existing geological paradigms. It wasn't until the development of plate tectonics in the 1960s that continental drift gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community.
Most scientists originally reject the theory of continental drift since it did clearly explain continents would move. This is a theory that has been established by Wegener and did not get good support initially.
One reason the scientific community doubted him was because he wasn't able to come up with an explanation for how the continents were moving, & where the force to move them was coming from.
Wegener's theory of continental drift was different because it proposed that continents were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea and drifted apart over time. This was a radical idea at the time as it challenged the established belief of stationary continents. Wegener lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how continents moved, which led to skepticism from the scientific community until the development of plate tectonics theory.
Henry Hess
Some scientists initially doubted the theory of continental drift due to a lack of plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move. Additionally, the scientific community was initially resistant to the idea proposed by Alfred Wegener, as it challenged existing geological paradigms. It wasn't until the development of plate tectonics in the 1960s that continental drift gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community.
Some scientists rejected the idea of continental drift because Alfred Wegener, who proposed the theory, lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how continents could move. In addition, the scientific community at the time held onto the prevailing belief in static continents and were resistant to accepting a new paradigm. It wasn't until the development of plate tectonics in the 1960s that continental drift became widely accepted.
because he couldn't explain what forces caused the continents to move... :D yup that's why
Wegener's ideas of continental drift were not immediately accepted by the scientific community because he did not have a satisfactory explanation for the mechanism that could move continents. Additionally, his hypothesis was contrary to the prevailing scientific beliefs at the time, which focused on fixed continents and seafloor spreading. It wasn't until the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s that Wegener's ideas gained wider acceptance.
Most scientists originally reject the theory of continental drift since it did clearly explain continents would move. This is a theory that has been established by Wegener and did not get good support initially.
One reason the scientific community doubted him was because he wasn't able to come up with an explanation for how the continents were moving, & where the force to move them was coming from.
Wegener's theory of continental drift was different because it proposed that continents were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea and drifted apart over time. This was a radical idea at the time as it challenged the established belief of stationary continents. Wegener lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how continents moved, which led to skepticism from the scientific community until the development of plate tectonics theory.
Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift was rejected because he lacked a plausible mechanism to explain how the continents moved. Additionally, the scientific community at the time did not have sufficient evidence to support the idea of continents drifting. It wasn't until the theory of plate tectonics emerged later, providing a mechanism and supporting evidence, that continental drift became widely accepted.
The two aspects of Weneger's continental drift hypothesis were objectionable to most Earth Scientist were. One, that gravitational forces of the moon and sun cause the earth's tides and also the movement of continents across the globe. Also, that larger and sturdier continents broke through thinner oceanic crust. Not 100% sure, but thats what my book says.
They speak at conferences and write articles.
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.