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CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY
 Alfred
Wegener (1880-1930) was a German born meteorologist who originated
the theory of continental drift. He proposed that at one time the
continents had all been part of a single land mass, which he
called Pangea. This supercontinent eventually broke up to produce
the pattern of continents we know today.
To support his theory Wegener pointed to the coastlines of the
continents that appeared as though they once fit together, the
similarity of fossils found on these "complementary" coastlines, and the evidence that
these areas once shared similar climates. However, like most great
men who seem to display an intelligence ahead of their time,
Wegener experienced ridicule and scorn from his contemporaries.
Today, sea floor spreading and plate tectonics, have managed to
answer most of the questions raised by Wegener's theory, by
explaining the methods by which entire continents are moved.
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At that time the continents were being pulled apart by tectonic forces
continuing their migration that started during the Triassic Period.
New oceans were formed in rift zones similar to today's Rift Valley of
East Africa and globally the weather was very warm and humid. The ice
caps had totally melted, even on Antarctica, causing a worldwide rise
in sea levels. The middle of the continent, North America was at
relatively low elevation relative to the world's oceans and was thus
covered by a body of water separating the continent in two separate
land masses.
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