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Apr 14, 1527
Abraham Ortelius Is Born
Abraham Ortelius is born in Antwerp, Belgium. A Flemish cartographer, Ortelius helped come up with Continental Drift. -
Period: Jan 31, 1570 to
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum is created by Ortelius. Considered the first modern atlas, it was the most expensive book ever printed. Until 1612, about 7000 different copies have been printed. -
Continental Drift Theory is First Made
Abraham Ortelius is the first one to suggest the Continental Drift theory. He had noticed that the Americas were “torn away from Europe and Africa….by earthquakes and floods.” He also said that if someone were to examine a world map and look at the coasts of the continents, they would find that they all fit together once. This was also when Pangaea was first mentioned. -
Abraham Ortelius Dies
Abraham Ortelius dies at the age of 71. He is buried in Antwerp, Belgium. -
Alfred Wegener Birthday
Alfred Wegener is born in Berlin, German. -
Harry Hammond Hess is born.
Harry Hammond Hess is born in New York City, USA. -
Theory is Made
While at the University of Marburg, Wegeber noticed a sicentific article at the library about fossils of identical plants being found on either sides of the ocean. The science during his time explained this as great land bridges which connected the continents. However, Wegener noticed how several continents seemed to fit together. He developed a theory that all the continents had been grouped together once, but had drifted apart. He the started to gathering evidence for his theory. -
The Origin of Continents and Oceans
The Orgins of Continents and Oceans was Wegeners book outlining his theory and giving evidence for it. He looked to large scale geological fetures and connected, fnding that they fit together. For example, the Applachian Mountains matched with the Scottish Higlands. Wegener also found evidence that fossils from tropical climates were also found in sub-artic regions. These all proved his thoery of "continental drift". The book also stated Wegenr's theory of"Pangea", the first book to do so. -
Hostility
Wegeners book was met with hostility by the scientific community, however. Dr. Rollin T. Chamberlin of the University of Chicago said, "Wegener's hypothesis...takes considerable liberty with our globe, and is less bound by restrictions...than most of its rival theories." Much of the problem was that Wegener had no real idea of the cause. He had said that the continents plowed through the crust, which would have disfigured them unrecognizably. He was also wrong with the rate of drift. -
Wegener Dies
Alfred Wegener dies on an expidition to Greenland, a day or two after his 50th birthday. His theory of continental drift found more support around the 50's due to ocean and crust exploration. -
The Scientist
Harry Hess continued to work on his research of ocean seafloors during WWII. While cruising from one battle to the other, Hess kept his transports sounding gear on 24/7. This bounced sound waves off the ocean floor in order to determine oceanic relief and topography. This led to his discovery of submerged and flat-topped mountains which he name "guyots". -
The Great Global Rift
Scientists discover a valley running off the mid-ocean ridge, which is a underwater mountain about 80,000 kilometers long. This rift was called the Great Global Rift, and it sparks Hess's curiosity. -
Important Questions Answered
Hess's hypothesis answered many geological questions, such as If the ocean is at least 4 billion years old, than why is there so little sediment deposited on it? Hess's theory also explained continental drift. The movement of magma shifts the continents and their plates by scraping away the ocean crust and moving away from the ridges. This causes the plates to move. Hess's explanations proved Wegener's theory on Continental Drift. -
The History of Ocean Basins
Hess publishes his report, The History of Ocean Basins. It becomes the single-most refrenced work for a while. -
Hess Hypothesizes
Hess proposes a hypothesis that proves extremly important in the plate tectonics theory. He theorized that the ocean floor was only a few hundred million years old, which was significantly younger than the continents. Hess hypothesized that that was how long it took for molten lava to rise out of the ocean's volcanical mid-ocean ridges, spread out, create a new sea-floor, and then seep back into the Earth through the trenches in the ocean, carrying of sediments and fossils. -
Hess's Death
Hess died in Wood's hole, Massachusets from a heart attack. Unlike Wegener, Hess lived to see his ideas and thoughts be accepted by the scientific community.
