Science glossary film: Continental Drift

The theory that the continents are not fixed in place but move around the planet. The idea was proposed in 1912 by German scientist Alfred Wegener,to account for observations such as the striking similarity of fossils in West Africa and eastern South America. It was not widely accepted until the 1950s, however, when a plausible mechanism was suggested: rising convection currents from hot magma below the Earth's surface.

The idea was proposed in 1912 by German scientist Alfred Wegener, to account for observations such as the striking similarity of fossils in West Africa and eastern South America. It was not widely accepted until the 1950s, however, when a plausible mechanism was suggested: rising convection currents from hot magma below the Earth's surface.