Alfred Wegener: An Animation

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Earth Science, Earth Systems, Geology, Nature of Science, History of Science

Some recent work at CGEE included an animation of Pangea and the construction of the Gulf Coast, particularly the Mississippi River delta.

It reminded of the life of Alfred Wegener who was the first to propose the idea, known then as continental drift, today as plate tectonics, based on his observations of how the distant continents fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Scoffed at and belittled by geologists even though Wegener's explanation made clear why widely separated continents have the same fossils. Interestingly, botanists, thought his ideas had some merit. There is a wonderful short animated film made with paper puppets on his life. 

The video (7m 37s), narrated by experts on both Wegener's life and the earth sciences, may be seen here.

I'm quite certain I posted this in the past but it is well worth viewing again.