GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In the early 20th century, a scientific theory called continental drift was proposed about this migration of the continents. That theory was initially ridiculed, but it paved the way for another theory called plate tectonics that scientists have now accepted to explain how Earth’s continents move.

Detailed explanation-2: -But Wegener is best known today for his theory of continental drift, which is now accepted as fact, but which was considered outlandish when he first proposed it at the 1926 American Association of Petroleum Geologists conference in New York City.

Detailed explanation-3: -The main reason that Wegener’s hypothesis was not accepted was because he suggested no mechanism for moving the continents. He thought the force of Earth’s spin was sufficient to cause continents to move, but geologists knew that rocks are too strong for this to be true.

Detailed explanation-4: -By 1967 most scientists in geology accepted the theory of plate tectonics. The root of this was Alfred Wegener’s 1912 publication of his theory of continental drift, which was a controversy in the field through the 1950s.

Detailed explanation-5: -Plate tectonics is a unifying theory, which explains many features and processes that we find on the Earth. It explains the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes. It explains mountain building and rock deformation on the continents, and even, in fact, describes the shapes and locations of the continents.