Here's a breakdown of his theory:

Alfred Wegener's Theory of Continental Drift (1912):

* The Earth's continents were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea. This massive landmass existed about 200 million years ago.

* Over millions of years, Pangaea began to break apart. The continents slowly drifted apart, moving to their current positions.

Wegener's Evidence:

* Matching Coastlines: The coastlines of continents like Africa and South America fit together like puzzle pieces.

* Fossil Evidence: Identical fossils of plants and animals were found on continents now separated by vast oceans, suggesting they were once connected.

* Geological Evidence: Similar rock formations and mountain ranges were found on different continents, indicating they were once part of a larger landmass.

* Climate Evidence: Glacial deposits were found in tropical regions, indicating that continents have moved through different climates over time.

Initial Rejection and Later Acceptance:

* Wegener's theory was initially rejected by the scientific community because he couldn't provide a convincing mechanism for how the continents moved.

* The theory gained wider acceptance in the 1960s with the development of plate tectonics, which provided a mechanism for continental drift. Plate tectonics explains that the Earth's lithosphere (the rigid outer layer) is divided into large plates that move slowly over the Earth's mantle.

Continental drift is a fundamental concept in geology and has revolutionized our understanding of the Earth's history, its landforms, and its processes.