Wegener discovered that the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, for instance, were geologically related to the Caledonian Mountains of Scotland. South America and Africa were not the only continents with similar geology.
The east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa seem to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and Wegener discovered their rock layers “fit” just as clearly. Finally, Wegener studied the stratigraphy of different rocks and mountain ranges. The presence of these fossils suggests Svalbard once had a tropical climate. These fossils were of tropical plants, which are adapted to a much warmer, more humid environment. These plants were not the hardy specimens adapted to survive in the Arctic climate. Wegener also studied plant fossils from the frigid Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, Norway. The presence of mesosaurus suggests a single habitat with many lakes and rivers. Mesosaurus, a freshwater reptile only one meter (3.3 feet) long, could not have swum the Atlantic Ocean. For example, fossils of the ancient reptile mesosaurus are only found in southern Africa and South America. Wegener, trained as an astronomer, used biology, botany, and geology describe Pangaea and continental drift. Pangaea Wegener was convinced that all of Earth’s continents were once part of an enormous, single landmass called Pangaea.
He called this movement continental drift. In the early 20th century, Wegener published a paper explaining his theory that the continental landmasses were “drifting” across the Earth, sometimes plowing through oceans and into each other. The theory of continental drift is most associated with the scientist Alfred Wegener. Today, the theory of continental drift has been replaced by the science of plate tectonics. Continental drift describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time.
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