Which ancient supercontinent did Alfred Wegener identify as having once joined Earth's landmasses?

Which ancient supercontinent did Alfred Wegener identify as having once joined Earth's landmasses?

• A. Pangaea
• B. Gondwana
• C. Laurasia
• D. Rodinia

Answer: (A)

Continental drift explains how Earth's landmasses were once connected in a single ancient supercontinent called Pangaea. Wegener proposed that this vast landmass existed hundreds of millions of years ago and later broke apart to form the continents we know today. The name Pangaea captures the idea of one world landmass, which is why it’s the best answer: it represents the original configuration from which the pieces dispersed into northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana before becoming today’s continents. Evidence he used includes the striking fit of coastlines across continents like South America and Africa, matching rock layers and mountain belts, and fossils and climate clues that line up when the continents are reassembled. The other terms refer to later subdivisions of that original mass (Gondwana and Laurasia) or to an even older assembly (Rodinia) that Wegener didn’t identify as the single joined landmass.

Continental drift explains how Earth's landmasses were once connected in a single ancient supercontinent called Pangaea. Wegener proposed that this vast landmass existed hundreds of millions of years ago and later broke apart to form the continents we know today. The name Pangaea captures the idea of one world landmass, which is why it’s the best answer: it represents the original configuration from which the pieces dispersed into northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana before becoming today’s continents. Evidence he used includes the striking fit of coastlines across continents like South America and Africa, matching rock layers and mountain belts, and fossils and climate clues that line up when the continents are reassembled. The other terms refer to later subdivisions of that original mass (Gondwana and Laurasia) or to an even older assembly (Rodinia) that Wegener didn’t identify as the single joined landmass.