What is Continental drift?
[[File:Snider-Pellegrini Wegener fossil map.svg|thumb|right|250px|Fossil records suggesting that continents now separated were once together: see [[Pangaea]]]] [[File:Antonio Snider-Pellegrini Opening of the Atlantic.jpg|thumb|right|250px|First known illustration of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, by Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, 1858.]] '''Continental drift''' is a historical, [[scientific theory]]. The theory was first proposed by [[Abraham Ortelius]] in 1596. It was fully developed by the [[Germany|German]] [[Geology|geologist]] and [[Meteorology|meteorologist]] [[Alfred Wegener]] in 1915. The theory said that parts of the [[Earth]]'s [[crust (geology)|crust]] move slowly on top of a liquid [[Earth's mantle|mantle]] of higher density. The theory has now been included in the wider theory of [[plate tectonics]]. == Evidence == The theory was supported by finding the same [[mineral]]<nowiki/>s and [[fossil]]s in [[western Europe]] and eastern [[North America]]. There are also similar fossils on the western coast of [[Africa]] and the eastern [[South America]]. The shapes of these [[Continent|continents]] nearly fit together. The theory was plausible (believable), but there was no known mechanism to drive these great movements. This problem was later solved by plate tectonics. The pattern of [[Volcanoes|volcanic activity]], [[mountain]] building ([[orogeny]]) and [[earthquake]]s is explained by continental drift. The existence of identical rocks widely apart supports the theory. Examples (there are hundreds): #Fossils of the [[fern]] ''Glossopteris'' are found in rocks from [[Australia]], [[South America]], [[Antarctica]], [[India]], [[Africa]] and [[Madagascar]].<ref>USGS This dynamic Earth [http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html#anchor9449934]</ref> These were all together in the [[supercontinent]] [[Gondwana]], after the global continent [[Pangaea]] broke up. #[[Table Mountain]] at the [[Cape of Good Hope]], [[South Africa]], and mountains south of [[Rio de Janeiro]] are made of identical rocks