How does the fern Glossopteris provide evidence for the movement of the continents

Answer 1

The fern Glossopteris provides evidence for the movement of continents because it is a fossilized plant that has been found in rocks of the same age and similar composition across widely separated continents, including South America, Africa, Australia, India, and Antarctica.

The distribution of Glossopteris fossils suggests that these continents were once connected in a landmass called Gondwana. The presence of identical plant fossils in such distant locations would be highly unlikely if the continents were fixed in place throughout Earth's history.

This evidence supports the theory of continental drift, proposed by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century. Wegener argued that the continents were once joined together in a supercontinent and had since moved apart, leading to the current arrangement of continents. The distribution of Glossopteris fossils provided compelling support for this theory and helped to revolutionize our understanding of Earth's geological history.