Alfred Wegener (original) (raw)
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Overview
(1880—1930) German meteorologist and geologist
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(1880–1930)
A German meteorologist and physicist, Wegener is best known for his version of the theory of continental drift. In Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane, published in 1915 (first English language edition: The Origin of Continents and Oceans, 1922) he used a wide range of arguments to support his hypothesis, including palaeontological and palaeoclimatic evidence, the hypsometric curve, seismic evidence, polar wandering, and the differences between continental and oceanic crust. He found little contemporary support, but has since become regarded as the first to propose the hypothesis in well-argued, scientific terms.