Why did Alfred Wegener have a hard time making people believe his theory of continental drift?
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Check the paragraph under the map of Pangaea for the criticisms of Wegener's theory.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html
Scroll down about half way. His theories were dismised, primarily becuase he had no mechanism to explain continental drift.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wegener
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Alfred Wegener had a hard time making people believe his theory of continental drift due to several reasons:
1. Lack of evidence: When Wegener proposed his theory in the early 20th century, there was not enough scientific evidence to support his ideas. He suggested that the continents were once connected in a single landmass called Pangaea which then drifted apart over time. However, at that time, there were insufficient data and technology to explain how and why this would have occurred.
2. Resistance from established geologists: Wegener faced significant opposition from the scientific community, particularly the geological establishment of his time. Many renowned geologists strongly adhered to the prevailing theory called "fixism," which proposed that the continents were stationary and did not move over time. Wegener's theory challenged these conventional beliefs, and he faced resistance and disbelief from those who held them.
3. Lack of a plausible mechanism: Although Wegener had observed compelling evidence such as matching coastlines, similarities in rock formations, and fossil records across continents, he did not have a convincing explanation for how the continents moved. Wegener speculated that tidal forces or the rotation of the Earth caused the movement, but these ideas were not well supported by scientific understanding at the time.
4. Geographical isolation: Wegener's work was based primarily on studying landforms and geological data from different continents, which often led to his isolation from other researchers and limited opportunities for collaboration and validation of his findings.
5. Language barriers: Wegener primarily published his research in German, making it less accessible to scientists outside of Germany. This language barrier hindered the dissemination of his ideas and limited their visibility in the international scientific community.
In summary, Wegener faced skepticism and rejection of his theory due to lack of evidence, resistance from established geologists, absence of a plausible mechanism, geographical isolation, and language barriers. Despite these obstacles, Wegener's theory of continental drift laid the groundwork for our understanding of plate tectonics, which was widely accepted several decades after his death.