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Abraham Ortelius
Hypothesis: stated that the continents were joined together before they drifted to their current positions. Evidence: the shape of the continents on either side of the Atlantic ocean fits together. Acceptance of theory: his theory was not extensively accepted because of the limited means of collecting evidence. (https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html) -
James Hutton
Hypothesis: The earth is being formed by erosion and sedimentation that is defined as uniformitarianism. Evidence: Rocks are formed by the sedimentary process and start out as grains of sand in water. Acceptance of theory: Scientists disagreed with him because they thought geological process were affected by the natural disasters. (http://digital.nls.uk/scientists/biographies/james-hutton/) -
Alfred Wegener
Hypothesis: All land masses were once part of a supercontinent Pangaea. Evidence: The mountain ranges and cold deposits run uninterrupted across South America and South Africa. Fossils of identical plants and animals are found on the either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The climate in which the rocks were found is different from today's. Acceptance of theory: other scientists stated that he needed more evidence to prove the idea right. (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html) -
Arthur Holmes
Hypothesis: the Earth's mantle undergoes thermal convection. Evidence: as magma heats up it tends to rise then cool and sinks again. This repeated cooling in a current which is enough to cause continents to move. Acceptance of theory: his idea was accepted because it seemed geologically logical. (http://www.amnh.org/explore/resource-collections/earth-inside-and-out/arthur-holmes-harnessing-the-mechanics-of-mantle-convection-to-the-theory-of-continental-drift/) -
Harry Hess
Hypothesis: the seafloor itself moves and carries continents with it as it expands from a central point.The ocean floor is where the plates are destroyed and recycled. Evidence: circulating convection currents in the molten mantle cause it to ooze between the plate which expands and moves the the plates beside. The North American plate moves West and Eurasian plate moves East. Acceptance of theory: his idea was not accepted because scientists wanted more geophysical evidence. -
Lawrence Morley
Hypothesis: the rocks on the ocean floor are imprinted with a record of the direction and intensity of Earth's magnetic field. Evidence: his ocean survey showed alternating bands of normal and reversed magnetism in black and white orientations, resembling zebra stripes. Acceptance of theory: his theory as rejected because he could not explain provide quantitative evidence. (http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=201) -
Drummond Hole Matthews
Hypothesis: variations in the magnetic properties of rock forming in the ocean floor was the result of seafloor spreading. Evidence: he discovered a pattern of magnetic anomalies running in the stripes symmetrically on either side of the mid ocean ridge, during the survey of the Western Indian ocean. Acceptance of theory: his idea was widely accepted because of accurate evidence and explanation. (http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/en/Plate-Tectonics/Chap1-Pioneers-of-Plate-Tectonics/Vine-and-Matthews) -
Frederick J. Vine
Hypothesis: seafloor spreads from the mid ocean ridges with a symmetrical pattern of magnetic reversals in the basalt rocks on either side. Evidence: the iron bearing minerals in the basalt magnetize in the direction of Earth's magnetic field at the time. Acceptance of theory: the idea was not well received as Vine himself thought he needed more evidence.
