Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift was widely ridiculed in his day.

In this diagram, Wegener theorized how the continents may have split and shifted into their present forms.

Alfred Lothar Wegener (Berlin, November 1, 1880 – Greenland, November 2 or 3, 1930) was a German interdisciplinary scientist who had early training in astronomy. (Ph.D., University of Berlin, 1905). He became interested in the new discipline of meteorology and as a record-holding balloonist himself, pioneered the use of weather balloons to track air masses. His lectures became a standard textbook in meteorology, The Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere. Wegener was part of several expeditions to Greenland to study polar air circulation, when the existence of a jet stream itself was highly controversial. He died there of exposure in bitter cold. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The concept of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener. ... u suk, File links The following pages link to this file: Alfred Wegener ... u suk, File links The following pages link to this file: Alfred Wegener ... Berlin (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,387,404 inhabitants (as of September 2004); down from 4. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaat, The Land of the Greenlanders (Kalaallit); Danish: Grønland) is a self-governed Danish territory and an Arctic island nation located in North America with shores on the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... There is no institution called the University of Berlin, but there are four universities in Berlin, Germany: Humboldt University of Berlin (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) Technical University of Berlin (Technische Universität Berlin) Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin) Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin) This is... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... Balloons are often used or given on special occasions, like cards or flowers. ... Rawinsonde weather balloon just after launch. ... Thermodynamics (Greek: thermos = heat and dynamic = change) is the physics of energy, heat, work, entropy and the spontaneity of processes. ... Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaat, The Land of the Greenlanders (Kalaallit); Danish: Grønland) is a self-governed Danish territory and an Arctic island nation located in North America with shores on the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. ... For other uses of the word pole, see Pole (disambiguation). ... Jet streams are fast flowing, confined air currents found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth, just under the tropopause. ... Hypothermia is a medical condition in which the victims core body temperature has dropped to significantly below normal and normal metabolism begins to be impaired. ...

Browsing the library at the University of Marburg, where he was teaching in 1911, Wegener was struck by the occurrence of identical fossils in geological strata that are now separated by oceans. The accepted explanations or theories at the time posited land bridges to explain away these anomalies. But Wegener was increasingly convinced that the continents themselves had shifted away from a primal single massive supercontinent, which drifted apart about 200 million years ago, to judge from the fossil evidence. From 1912 he publicly advocated his theory of "continental drift", arguing that the continents on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were drifting apart. Recovery from a war wound gave Wegener time to think. In 1915, in The Origin of Continents and Oceans (Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane), Wegener published the theory that there had once been a giant supercontinent, which he named "Pangaea" (meaning "all-Earth") and drew together evidence from various fields. Expanded editions during the 1920s presented the accumulating evidence. The last edition, just before his untimely death, revealed the significant observation that shallower oceans were geologically younger. The one American edition, published in 1924, provoked such hostility that it was not revised. The University of Marburg, officially called Philipps-Universität Marburg after its founder, the Landgrave Philipp I of Hesse (usually called the Magnanimous), was founded in 1527 and is the worlds first and oldest Protestant university. ... A database query syntax error has occurred. ... For other uses of the term, see Fossil (disambiguation) Fossils are the mineralized remains of animals or plants or other artifacts such as footprints. ... Ocean (Okeanos, a Greek god of sea and water; Greek ωκεανός) covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth. ... Land bridge is essentially a historical term: it refers to dry land exposed during periods of low sea level (see regression), connecting what are now separate continents or islands. ... A supercontinent is a mass of land comprising more than one continental core, or craton. ... A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... The concept of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener. ... Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land mass with minimal distortion as only one continuous continent A continent (Latin continere, to hold together) is a large continuous mass of land on the planet Earth. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Pangæa Pangaea (Greek for all lands) is the name Alfred Wegener used to refer to the supercontinent that existed during the Mesozoic era, before the process of plate tectonics separated the component continents. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Many geologists focused on a lack of a demonstrable mechanism and rejected and ridiculed Wegener for his ideas, noting that he could not explain how continents were able to move. The theory received support through the controversial years from South African geologist Alexander Du Toit as well as from Arthur Holmes. Only after the mid-20th century discovery of seafloor spreading did Wegener receive credit, as an early developer of the theory of plate tectonics. It took more than 50 years before adequate evidence was acquired and presented to convince mainstream geologists to acknowledge that the continents were actually in motion; and the fit between the coasts of Africa and South America was more than just illusionary. A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. ... The Republic of South Africa is a large republic located at the southern tip of the continent. ... Alexander Logie du Toit (March 14, 1878 – February 1948) was a South African geologist. ... Arthur Holmes (January 14, 1890 – September 20, 1965) was a British geologist. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Seafloor spreading is a part of the theory of plate tectonics. ... The word theory has a number distinct meanings depending on the context. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, established in 1980, honours his name. There are craters on Mars and the Moon named after him, as well as the asteroid 29227 Wegener. The Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research is a scientific organization located in Bremerhaven, Germany. ... Map of Germany showing Bremerhaven Watershed of the River Weser Bremerhaven is a city in the federal state of Bremen, Germany. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The word crater may refer to A landform resembling a pit or depression in the topography that can be formed in several ways: speculation exists that a meteorite impact with another body can cause an impact crater, an electrical discharge on any scale tends to form circular craters, volcanic activity... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... For other moons in the solar system see natural satellite. ... An asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun. ...

See also

• Gondwana
• Laurasia

This article is about the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. ... Laurasia was a supercontinent that broke off from the Pangaean supercontinent in the late Mesozoic era. ...

Timeline of geology

According to the Timeline of geology, Francis Bacon noticed the jigsaw fit of Africa and South America, and this in a small way pioneered some of Wegener's ideas. Timeline of geology: see also geologic timescale. ... For others individuals named Francis Bacon see: Francis Bacon (disambiguation) Sir Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans (January 22, 1561 - April 9, 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

External links

• Alfred Wegener biography (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html)
• USGS biography (http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/wegener.html)
• Wegener biography at Pangaea.org (http://pangaea.org/wegener.htm)
• Wegener Institute website (English) (http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/index-e.html)