Question

In 3–5 sentences, identify and describe the fossil evidence Wegener used to support the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.(4 points)

Answer 1

Wegener pointed out that identical fossil species occur on continents now separated by vast oceans, which suggested those landmasses were once joined. Key examples are the freshwater reptile Mesosaurus found only in South Africa and Brazil, the seed fern Glossopteris whose fossils occur across South America, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica, and land reptiles like Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus with similarly disjunct ranges. Because these were terrestrial or freshwater organisms unlikely to cross oceans, their matched distributions supported the idea of a single joined landmass (Pangaea). This fossil evidence was a central line of support for Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis and later integrated into plate tectonic theory.