The Continental Drift Theory was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. He suggested that the continents we see today were once joined together in a single supercontinent called Pangaea about 200–250 million years ago. Over millions of years, Pangaea slowly broke apart, and the pieces (continents) drifted to their present positions.

Key Evidence Wegener used:

Fossils: Same plant and animal fossils found on continents now separated by oceans (e.g., Mesosaurus in South America & Africa).

Geological Features: Similar rock formations and mountain ranges on different continents.

Climate Clues: Evidence of glacial deposits in places that are now tropical.

Although Wegener’s idea was initially rejected (because he couldn’t explain how continents moved), later discoveries in plate tectonics provided the mechanism — movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates on the semi-fluid mantle.

👉 In short: Continental Drift explains that continents are slowly moving and were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea.