Continental Drift

Over 400 years ago Abraham Ortelius proposed the idea of a supercontinent. Unfortunately, Ortelius suggestion wasn't a formal scientific theory. It wasn't until 1912 that Alfred Wegener presented a scientific theory called continental drift. Wegener suggested that the supercontinent Pangaea broke up over time into two large continents called Gondwanaland and Laurasia. These two continents then broke up into the seven the Earth has today.

There are three kinds of evidence for continental drift. First, the shape of continents fit well together. Second, fossils, mountains, and rock structures on different continents match up. Third, the geologic and fossil record show that the climate changed over time, which means the continents moved closer or further away from the equator.

Wegener was ultimately unable to prove his theory in his lifetime. He tragically died in Greenland in 1930.