The Origin of Continents and Oceans

by Alfred Wegener

Since its inception modern geology has been faced with an important group of problems: explaining parallel formations that are separated by great distances of sea; accounting for isolated life forms in widely separated areas (such as lemurs in Madagascar and India); explaining pre-pleistocene glaciations, and similar problems. The usual explanation has been to assume the one-time existence of land bridges (such as the hypothetical Lemuria) or parallelisms or diffusion with lost intermediary steps.
In 1915, however, one of the most influential and most controversial books in the history of science provided a new solution. This was Alfred Wegener's Entstehung der Kontinente , which dispensed with land bridges and parallel evolutions and offered a more economical concept. Wegener proposed that in the remote past the earth's continents were not separate (as now), but formed one supercontinent which later split apart, the fragments gradually drifting away from one another. Wegener created his supercontinent with attractive simplicity by tucking the point of South America into the Gulf of Guinea, coalescing North America, Greenland, and Europe, rotating Australia and Antarctica up through the Indian Ocean, and closing the remaining gaps. Wegener then explained various phenomena in historical geology, geomorphy, paleontology, paleoclimatology, and similar areas of science in terms of this continental drift. To back up his revolutionary theory he drew upon a seemingly inexhaustible find of data. Later editions of his book added new data to refute his opponents or to strengthen his own views in the violent scientific quarrel that arose.
Even today this important question remains undecided, and geologists are divided into strongly opposed groups about the Wegener hypothesis. At the moment it seems to be gaining steadily in acceptance. It is one of the two basic theories of earth history, and since it has often been misrepresented in summary, every earth scientist owes it to himself to examine its theories and data.

Genres: Science, Geology, Nonfiction, History, Natural History, Earth Sciences, Geography

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Alfred Lothar Wegener (1 November 1880–November 1930) was a German polar researcher, geophysicist and meteorologist.

Reviews

[Ryan Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaic in wording, which is not surprising, and certainly enjoyable to see how Wegener pieces together this theory. For a modern geologist it provides a window into a world where what we take for granted today had to be earned with proof and strenuous proofing. I found it inspirational to think that there is still much that we don’t know today, but with our basic geological tenets we may be able to likewise piece together the next big breakthrough!

[Nawaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are geologist or geographer, you must read this book for many reasons. First to discover what Wegner gives to the scientific community to interpret the earth's history including the formation of the mountain and oceans. Second, to know the scientific approach in its purest way. Wegner was unbiased when he discussed the theory even he provided pieces of evidence that support his view. Finally, the last pages of his book were rich in materials that support any interesting researcher to develop the theory.

[Keriann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thick science. But a good review of how Oceans, and their history, were thought of prior to the plate tectonics paradigm. In fact, it is tenable that without this book, plate tectonics would have never been possible as a hypothesis.

[Ami Iida · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is the origin of the lands and ocean

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that there was significant opposition to his theory of continental drift theory because of the prevailing view that continents are fixed in place, Dr. Wegener used this book to build and document his case. For that matter, his theory didn’t gain wide acceptance until the field of plate tectonics was developed several decades after his death, Although the data supporting his arguments are undoubtedly dated, I was impressed at the scope of his argumentation, a sampling of which includes:

• Longitudinal observations in Greenland at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries show a growing distance between Greenland and Europe. Similar observations showed an eastward movement of Madagascar relative to the Greenwich meridian.
• Using statistical data regarding predominant continental crust and oceanic crust elevations, Dr. Wegener used isostatic arguments to posit that oceanic crust was more dense than continental crust, hence, the lower elevation of the ocean floor. He then used measurements of seismic wave velocity, which is higher in oceanic crust than in continental crust, to bolster his density argument. The point that he was trying to make was that the continents are materially distinct from the ocean basins. Hence, hypotheses of sunken land bridges, etc., are without foundation. Given that we now know that oceanic crust is primarily basalt and has a higher density than the granitic continental crust, I am impressed that he and other geologists of his day were able to draw their conclusions with the data they had. The scientists of today may be better informed, but that is because they built on the foundations laid by their predecessors.
• Just looking at a map, it is obvious that the west coast of Africa and the east coast of South America line up very well. Factoring in that line up and accounting for the continental shelves, Dr. Wegener made the point that if the two continents are placed up against each other, adjacent regions have similar to identical topography, mineralogy, strike, etc. He also notes that the Falkland Islands appear to be a continental fragment with a geological connection with the Cape region of Africa and no connection with Patagonia, to which it is closest.
• Dr. Wegener also noted geological correspondence between North America and Europe, noting that the Carboniferous coal fields of the Appalachian Mountains of North America appear to be continuations of coal fields in Europe and connecting gneiss ranges in the Hebrides and northern Scotland with gneiss mountains in Labrador.
• Dr. Wegener made note of fossil flora and fauna common to both sides of the Atlantic. How can one explain this unless there were a land connection at some point in the past?

These are very, very simplified summaries of some of the arguments Dr. Wegener brought to bear in support of his continental drift theory. While he did make a go at coming up with a mechanism and addressed the viscosities necessary to permit movement of continents, his theory didn’t gain acceptance until plate tectonics provided a credible mechanism. Although much of the information in the book is dated, the way he built his case is very enlightening and educational.

[Harry Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not an easy one to review. I read it for my Tectonics Seminar in graduate school as a first year research assistant. It was ahead of its time and it is officially outdated. Alfred Wegener's bombastic work on Continental Drift was not remotely well received by his contemporaries. He was basically laughed at for the rest of his life for suggesting that the continents and oceans are not static. I would argue that he died a loser on the Greenland ice sheet after he became a laughing stock of the scientific community. The irony is now we know he was right and totally ahead of his time. He has an absurd amount of knowledge to back up his ideas in this book. He observations on paleontology, isostacy, crustal deformation, paleomagnetism, etc. were surprising insightful if not accurate. However, this is not to say he was always right. The biggest issue this book has is contained in the last chapter. He spends his whole book making precise observations about the inconsistences of a geosyncylinal earth (basically the idea that mountains, ridges, valleys and folds are the result of a shrinking planet), but then his explanation for the mechanisms of why he thinks the Earth "drifted" are lacking. He suggested that the continents moved through the ocean because of the magnetic poles and centrifugal forces coming from the rotation of the Earth on its axis. This is something all geologists today can agree is ridiculous. We know now that the continents move because the crust is being created in the ocean at underwater mountain chains called Mid-Ocean Ridges and then being subducted (recycled if you want) at the convergent boundary through a process called convection. While this book is not important for geologists to be successful I think this book is worth the time to go through.

[Vladimir Zivkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wegener was a German geophysist and meteorologist who developed the hypothesis of Continental Drift in the early 20th century. Without a mechanism for Continental Drift to occur, it was discarded until the early/mid 1960s when it resurfacedunder a new name, with a mechanism, Plate Tectonics. This book nicely goes into Wegners thinking, thought process, as well as an abundance of his supporting evidence. Some of his evidence is now known to be incorrect, but none the less, was used to support his hypothesis and made sense at the time.

[Robert Schretzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing to go back in time and see how a man saw the world. The evidence was good, but better came later. The birth of an idea that was right all along.

[for-much-deliberation ...]

Much reference is usually made of this text in terms of geographical discussions surrounding the plate tectonic theory... It most definitely is a pivotal work introducing and explaining this...

[Ulla · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating

[Fany · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Los parásitos de los marsupiales australianos y sudamericanos son los mismos".