Continental drift: The theory that horizontal movement of the earth's surface causes slow, relative
movements of the continents toward or away from one another.
In 1915, the German geologist and meteorologist
Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) first proposed the theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the Earth's crust slowly drift atop
a liquid core. The fossil record supports and gives credence to the theories of continental drift and plate tectonics.
Wegener hypothesized that there was an original, gigantic supercontinent 200 million years ago, which he named Pangaea,
meaning "All-earth".
It began breaking up during the Jurassic period.
