Wegener used evidence to describe continental drift. Which of these is evidence Wegener used?
A - Earth's continent's are part of plates that move.
B - Mesosaurus was able to swim in the ocean
C - Mesosaurus fossils were found in Africa and in South America
D - Coal fields in North America and Europe lined up.
C - Mesosaurus fossils were found in Africa and in South America
C - Mesosaurus fossils were found in Africa and in South America
The correct answer is C - Mesosaurus fossils were found in Africa and in South America.
To understand why this evidence supports Wegener's theory of continental drift, we need to understand what continental drift is. Continental drift is the theory that suggests that Earth's continents were once connected in a single landmass called Pangaea and have since drifted apart.
Wegener observed several lines of evidence to support this theory, including the distribution of fossils. Mesosaurus was an extinct reptile that lived about 290 million years ago. Fossils of Mesosaurus were found in both Africa and South America.
The presence of identical fossils in two continents that are now widely separated by the Atlantic Ocean suggests that there was once a connection between these landmasses. This supports the idea that the continents were once joined together and have since moved apart.
Therefore, choice C - Mesosaurus fossils being found in Africa and South America - is the evidence used by Wegener to describe continental drift.