-
Abraham Ortelius
He noticed the continents appear to fit together and proposed that they once were joined together but were later torn away. His evidence was Americas,Eurasia, and Africa fit together like a jig-saw puzzle. At the time no one used his theory until later on. -
Alfred Wegner
Alfred hypothesized that all the continents had once been joined and over time drifted apart. His evidence was that the continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and formed a super continent known as Pangea. Scientists disagreed because he could not identify what moved the plates. -
Arthur Holmes
Holmes believed earth's mantle contained convection cells that dissipated radioactive heat. His evidence was that the area near the mid-ocean ridge is warmer then other areas in the ocean. His theories were supported with hard evidence from scientists and is still being reinforced today. -
Henry Hess
Henry hypothesized that magma slowly leaked out of the center of the ridge because of convection in the mantle. His evidence was that the seafloor was warmer near the mid-Atlantic ridge. Scientists disagreed because like Wegner he needed more evidence. -
Robert S. Dietz
Robert hypothesized that new crustal material is formed at oceanic ridges and spreads outward. His evidence was that he found that guyots appeared tilted and were moving into deep trenches. His theory was similar to Hess's theory but he needed further evidence to get any scientists on his side. Both Hess and Robert stated that convection currents magma to reach the ocean floor forming new rock. -
Frederick J Vine
Vine worked with Matthews and Morley came up with the Vine-Matthew-Morley hypothesis which claimed that the seafloor was spreading. They came up with this conclusion when they found magnetic strips on the side of ridges on the ocean floor. Their theory was not initially well received and they themselves felt like they needed further evidence but eventually the theory was accepted. -
Lawrence Morley
Morley was apart of the Vine-Matthews-Morley hypothesis which stated that the seafloor was spreading. Morley also hypothesized that there was a magnetic pattern of igneous rock on the ocean floor. His evidence was that the magma was rising up at a mid-ocean ridge which contained iron. Scientists agreed because he could prove the hypothesis that Wegner could not solidly prove. -
Drummond Hoyle Matthews
Matthews was apart of the Vine-Matthews-Morley hypothesis and also believed the seafloor was spreading. Magnetic strips were found on the side of ridges on the ocean floor providing evidence for the theory. The theory was not well received at first and they felt like they needed more evidence but eventually was accepted.
