In section 3, Alfred Wegener, a scientist, formed a hypothesis about continental drift, which was a very new and radical idea at the time.
Alfred Wegener thought that the seven continents had drifted to their to their present-day locations. He believed that the continents used to be a giant super continent named Pangaea. The other scientists didn’t believe it was true, so he tried to prove it with evidence. They didn’t believe him because he could not explain what moves the continents.
First of all, Wegener collected evidence from land features. For example, he found out that the mountains of Africa and South America lined up. Also, he discovered that the coal fields in Europe and North America matched up.
Second of all, he gathered information from fossils. The fossils of Glossopteris, a fern-like plant, were found in Africa South America, Australia, and Antarctica. If the continents were put together, the fossils, like the coal fields, would line up. He found Lystrosuarus and Mesosaurus fossils in South America and Africa, which are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean.
Lastly, he learned about continental drift from ancient climatic zones. He looked for clues on fossils and rocks. In South Africa, he saw deep scratches in rocks, which meant that there were glaciers there. However, South America is very warm today. In Spitsbergen, which is now very cold, he found fossils of tropical plants. That meant it used to be near the equator, meaning that Spitsbergen had drifted.
He concluded that continental drift is real, but still no scientists believed him. Today, everyone knows that it exists.