EXPLORE: Continental Drift (BrainPop)

Early scientists found fossil evidence of plants and animals existing in places where they couldn't possibly survive given the climatic conditions of the day. For example, dinosaurs seemed like a poor fit for life on Antarctica, yet their remains were found there. They also found that continents on opposite sides of the world shared many common species.

The theory of continental drift (and the later theory of plate tectonics) revolutionized the fields of geology and biology. Alfred Wegener compared fossilized plant and animals & rock types and the patterns he observed (such as the existence of the same rocks and fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean) supported his theory that the continents were once all connected. Wegener could not explain how the continents drifted, but his ideas laid the foundation for the theory of plate tectonics.