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Questions and Answers
What was one of Wegener's significant contributions to the theory of continental drift?
What was one of Wegener's significant contributions to the theory of continental drift?
- He proposed that ocean currents caused continents to drift.
- He documented the speed of continental drift using satellite imagery.
- He developed a method for measuring tectonic plate movement.
- He discovered fossil evidence suggesting landmass connections. (correct)
Which statement best summarizes Alfred Wegener's professional background?
Which statement best summarizes Alfred Wegener's professional background?
- He was primarily trained as a geologist before proposing his theory.
- He spent most of his career as a professor of geology.
- He began his career in oceanography and shifted to meteorology later.
- He had an initial focus on astronomy before moving into meteorology. (correct)
What event interrupted Wegener's career development during World War I?
What event interrupted Wegener's career development during World War I?
- He relocated to the United States for research opportunities.
- He was appointed to a governmental meteorological position.
- He was drafted into the German army and subsequently wounded. (correct)
- He became a prominent public speaker on meteorology.
What was the focus of Wegener's significant publication titled The Origin of Continents and Oceans?
What was the focus of Wegener's significant publication titled The Origin of Continents and Oceans?
During which expedition did Alfred Wegener disappear?
During which expedition did Alfred Wegener disappear?
What was the primary reason Wegener's theory of continental drift faced initial skepticism?
What was the primary reason Wegener's theory of continental drift faced initial skepticism?
Which aspect of Marie Tharp's work was crucial in supporting Wegener's theory?
Which aspect of Marie Tharp's work was crucial in supporting Wegener's theory?
How did previous explanations for the movement of continents differ from Wegener's theory?
How did previous explanations for the movement of continents differ from Wegener's theory?
What significant development in the mid-20th century helped validate Wegener's theory?
What significant development in the mid-20th century helped validate Wegener's theory?
What observation led Wegener to propose that continents were once connected?
What observation led Wegener to propose that continents were once connected?
What was one of the limitations Wegener faced during his research on continental drift?
What was one of the limitations Wegener faced during his research on continental drift?
What characterized the geological features identified by Marie Tharp that supported the theory?
What characterized the geological features identified by Marie Tharp that supported the theory?
What initial interpretations were made regarding the similarities of geological features across continents before Wegener's theory?
What initial interpretations were made regarding the similarities of geological features across continents before Wegener's theory?
Flashcards
Who was Alfred Wegener?
Who was Alfred Wegener?
Alfred Wegener was a German meteorologist and arctic explorer best known for proposing the theory of continental drift.
What is the theory of continental drift?
What is the theory of continental drift?
Wegener's theory states that the continents were once joined together as a supercontinent, which later broke apart and drifted to their current positions.
How did fossils support Wegener's theory?
How did fossils support Wegener's theory?
Wegener found the same fossils on continents now separated by vast oceans, suggesting they were once connected.
When and how did Wegener publish his theory?
When and how did Wegener publish his theory?
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Why was Wegener's theory not accepted at first?
Why was Wegener's theory not accepted at first?
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What is Pangea?
What is Pangea?
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How did fossils support continental drift?
How did fossils support continental drift?
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What is Plate Tectonics?
What is Plate Tectonics?
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What is continental drift?
What is continental drift?
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Why is the mid-Atlantic rift important?
Why is the mid-Atlantic rift important?
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Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
Who proposed the theory of continental drift?
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Who mapped the ocean floor?
Who mapped the ocean floor?
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Why was Wegener's theory initially rejected?
Why was Wegener's theory initially rejected?
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Study Notes
Alfred Wegener: Continental Drift Theorist
- Wegener, a meteorologist, proposed the theory of continental drift.
- He was not a geologist, but amassed evidence from diverse research.
- His ideas, like many innovations, were not widely accepted until after his death.
- Born in Berlin, Germany, youngest of five children.
- Studied astronomy at Berlin University, then switched to meteorology.
- Worked at a meteorological station in Beeskow.
- Pioneered the use of weather balloons for air movement study with his brother Kurt.
- In 1906, he led a scientific expedition charting the northeast coast of Greenland, establishing the 1st meteorological station there.
- Returned to Germany and became professor of meteorology at Marburg University.
- Questioned the shape of continents and why they are positioned as they are.
- Noticed similar coastlines on continents (Africa and South America).
- Proposed fossil evidence supported his theory that the continents were once joined (1911).
- Published his theory in two 1912 papers and lectured on continental drift.
- Published "The Origin of Continents and Oceans" in 1915, including maps of continental connections.
- Drafted into the German army during WWI, wounded, and discharged in 1914.
- Returned to academia, becoming a professor of meteorology and geophysics at Graz University, Austria in 1924.
- His 1930 Greenland expedition, his last, was cut short by death 50 days after his 50th birthday.
- He could not explain how or why the continents had moved.
- He made three more expeditions to find more evidence, before his death in 1930 from overexertion.
- His theory was not well-received initially due mainly to a lack of a plausible mechanism for supporting the idea.
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