Alfred Wegener is a renowned German geophysicist and polar explorer. His theory of continental drift sparked a revolution in the scientific community, casting doubt on the research results of the previous decades.
Unfortunately, Alfred Wegener's life was cut short too early. The outstanding scientist never found out about the recognition of his works by the scientific world.
Biography
Alfred Lothar Wegener was born into a wealthy German family in the capital of the German Empire, Berlin on November 1, 1880. He was the fifth child of the churchman Richard Wegener and housewife Anna Wegener. Richard taught languages at one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Germany - Evangelisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster.
Gymnasium Evangelisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster Photo: Bodo Kubrak / Wikimedia Commons
Alfred Wegener received his traditional secondary education at the Kollnisches Gymnasium. He then continued his studies at the University of Berlin, from which he successfully graduated in 1899. But the future scientist did not stop there. The desire to continue a deeper study of physics, meteorology and astronomy led him to the University of Austria.
The talented student focused on astronomy and trained at the famous astronomical laboratory "Urania" from 1902 to 1903. He prepared his Ph. D. thesis under the guidance of the German astronomer Julius Bauschinger. In 1905, he received his Ph. D. from Friedrich Wilhelm University, but Alfred's interest in astronomy waned and he decided to pursue a career in geophysics and meteorology.
Career
Like many other scientists before him, Alfred Wegener was impressed by the similarities between the eastern coastlines of South America and western Africa. He suggested that these lands were once united. Around 1910, he began to build a hypothesis according to which at the end of the Paleozoic era (about 250 million years ago) all modern continents constituted a single large mass or supercontinent. Subsequently, this huge single piece of land disintegrated. Wegener named this ancient supercontinent Pangea.
Alfred Wegener 1910 Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons
Other scientists supported the possibility of the existence of such a continent, but the reason for its division was the processes of subsidence or subsidence of large parts of the supercontinent, resulting in the formation of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Alfred Wegener put forward a different theory. He hypothesized that the constituent parts of Pangea moved slowly, moving thousands of kilometers apart over long periods of geological time in the evolution of the Earth. Wegener called this movement "continental drift", which gave rise to one of the basic terms in planetary science, "continental drift."
For the first time, Alfred Wegener presented his theory in 1912. Later, in 1915, he published it in full in one of his most important works on the origin of continents and oceans, called Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane.
The scientist continued to search for geological and paleontological evidence that could support his theory. As a result, Wegener was able to point out many closely related elements. For example, the scientist talked about fossil organisms and similar layers of rocks that are found on continents distant from each other for many kilometers, especially in North America, South America and Africa.
Over the next decade, the theory of "continental drift" acquired both many supporters and opponents, to whom the postulates about the driving forces of the continents seemed implausible. By 1930, his theory was rejected by most geologists and sunk into obscurity.
They started talking about it again only in the late 1950s, when previously unavailable methods for studying the earth's interior, ocean floor, etc. appeared. The newly discovered facts have shown that without the movement of the continents, they would not be possible. Today, the teachings of Alfred Wegener about the drift of continents and lithospheric plates lies at the heart of the science of geology.
Personal life
In 1911, Alfred Wegener became engaged to 19 - year old Elsa Köppen. She was the daughter of the famous German - Russian botanist, geographer and meteorologist Vladimir Keppen. A few years later, in 1913, the young people got married.
The couple lived in the university city of Germany - Marburg. The family of Alfred and Elsa had three children. Hilda, the eldest of the daughters, was born in 1914. In 1918, Sophie - Katie was born, and in 1920 their youngest daughter Hannah - Charlotte.
German university town - Marburg Photo: Sicherlich / Wikimedia Commons
In 1930, Alfred Wegener led the fourth expedition to Greenland. The team of this famous explorer included thirteen local residents of Greenland and the meteorologist Fritz Leve. They were supposed to deliver fuel to the Eismitte base station. But only Wegener, Leve and the Eskimo Rasmus Willumsen reached the end point. The rest refused to go to Eismitt when it started snowing and the fog intensified.
Eismitte Station Photo: Loewe Fritz, Georgi Johannes, Sorge Ernst, Wegener Alfred Lothar / Wikimedia Commons
On the way back to the western camp, Wegener was accompanied by Rasmus Willumsen. But none of them ever got to that point. On May 12, 1931, the body of Alfred Wegener was found. Over the place of his burial, skis and ski poles protruded from under the thickness of the snow. Presumably, the scientist died of a heart attack and was buried by his companion. Rasmus Willumsen himself lost his way and disappeared forever in the frosty desert. Upon learning of Alfred's death, his brother Kurt Wegener urgently led the expedition. Thus, the main tasks of this campaign were completed.
Alfred Wegener's body was not reburied. He stayed where he was found. Only a six-meter cross was installed instead of skis. Unfortunately, the outstanding scientist himself did not live to see his triumph, which was witnessed by his wife. Elsa Köppen - Wegener died in 1992 at the age of one hundred.
