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Continental drift is the theory, originating in the early 20th century, that Earth's continents move or drift relative to each other over geologic time. [1] The theory of continental drift has since been validated and incorporated into the science of plate tectonics, which studies the movement of the continents as they ride on plates of the Earth's lithosphere.
Mesosaurus was significant in providing evidence for the theory of continental drift, because its remains were found in southern Africa, Whitehill Formation, and eastern South America (Melo Formation, Uruguay and Irati Formation, Brazil), two widely separated regions.
Map of Pangea showing locations of Lystrosaurus remains as yellow disks. Distorted boundaries of modern continents shown as grey lines. (Distributions for lystrosaurs and three other Permian and Triassic fossil groups used as biogeographic evidence for continental drift and certain land bridges.)
He noticed that there was a significant similarity between matching sides of the continents, especially in fossil plants. Fossil patterns across continents . From 1912, Wegener publicly advocated the existence of "continental drift", arguing that all the continents were once joined in a single landmass and had since drifted apart.
The concept that the continents once formed a contiguous land mass was hypothesised, with corroborating evidence, by Alfred Wegener, the originator of the scientific theory of continental drift, in three 1912 academic journal articles written in German titled Die Entstehung der Kontinente (The Origin of Continents). [11]
Distribution of four Permian and Triassic fossil groups used as biogeographic evidence for continental drift, and land bridging. Location of Cynognathus remains shown by red diamonds. Fossils have been found in the Karoo, the Puesto Viejo Formation, Fremouw Formation, in South Africa/Lesotho, Argentina and Antarctica.
Distribution of four Permian and Triassic fossil groups used as biogeographic evidence for continental drift, and land bridging. The continent of Gondwana was named by the Austrian scientist Eduard Suess, after the region in central India of the same name, which is derived from Sanskrit for "forest of the Gonds". [6]
Fossil of a South American Mesosaur. The study of Laurin and Reisz (1995) was the second major phylogenetic analysis of amniotes. [18] Like Gauthier et al., Laurin and Reisz used Reptilia as a crown group and placed mesosaurs outside the group.