Wegener futhi Pangea
Nakuba wayengeyena owokuqala, kodwa uFrank Bursley Taylor, umemezele inkolelo-mbono ngokusho ukuthi amazwekazi axhunyiwe, nguye owaqamba izwekazi elilodwa lokuqala elithi Pangea futhi ubhekwa njengomdali walokhu kutholakala. Isazi sesimo sezulu kanye nomhloli wendawo yonke indawo u-Alfred Wegener washicilela umbono wakhe ku-Die Entstehung der Continente und Ozeane. Njengoba uWegener ayengumJalimane waseMarburg, uhlelo lokuqala lwanyatheliswa ngesiJalimane ngo-1912. Inguqulo yesiNgisi yavela ngo-1915. Nokho, ngemva kokuphela kweMpi Yezwe Yokuqala, ngemva kokukhululwa komagazini owandisiwe ngo-1920, lapho izwe lesayensi laqala ukukhuluma ngalo mqondo.
Kwakuyinkolelo-mbono eguquguqukayo kakhulu. Kuze kube manje, izazi zokwakheka komhlaba zazikholelwa ukuthi amazwekazi ayanyakaza, kodwa abheke phezulu. Akekho owayefuna ukuzwa ngokunyakaza okuvundlile. Futhi njengoba u-Wegener ayengeyena ngisho isazi sokuma komhlaba, kodwa isazi sesimo sezulu kuphela, umphakathi wesayensi wawungabaza ngokufutheka umbono wakhe. Obunye bobufakazi obubalulekile obusekela umbono wokuba khona kwePangea izinsalela zezilwane nezitshalo zasendulo, ezifanayo kakhulu noma ezifanayo, ezitholakala emazwenikazi amabili akude. Ukuze inselele lobu bufakazi, izazi zokuma komhlaba ziye zasikisela ukuthi amabhuloho asemhlabeni ayekhona nomaphi lapho edingeka khona. Zadalwa (emabalazweni) njengoba kudingeka, okungukuthi, ngokuhlukanisa izinsalela, isibonelo, i-hipparion yehhashi lezinsalela ezitholakala eFrance naseFlorida. Ngeshwa, akuyona yonke into engachazwa ngamabhuloho. Ngokwesibonelo, kwakungenzeka ukuchaza ukuthi kungani izinsalela ze-trilobite (emva kokuwela ibhuloho lezwe elicatshangelwayo) zikolunye uhlangothi lwe-New Finland, futhi azizange ziwele ezweni elivamile ngaphesheya kogu. Izinkinga ezilethiwe kanye nokwakheka kwedwala okufanayo ogwini lwamazwekazi ahlukene.
Ithiyori kaWegener nayo ibe namaphutha nokunganembile. Ngokwesibonelo, kwakungalungile ukusho ukuthi iGreenland yayihamba ngesivinini esingu-1,6 km/ngonyaka. Isilinganiso sasiyiphutha, ngoba esimweni sokuhamba kwamazwekazi, njll, singakhuluma kuphela ngesivinini ngamasentimitha ngonyaka. Akazange achaze ukuthi la mazwe ahamba kanjani: yini eyawanyakazisa nokuthi yimiphi imikhondo eyashiywa yile nhlangano. I-hypothesis yakhe ayizange yamukelwe kabanzi kwaze kwaba ngu-1950, lapho izinto eziningi ezitholwe njenge-paleomagnetism ziqinisekisa ukuthi kungenzeka ukukhukhuleka kwezwekazi.
U-Wegener waphothula eBerlin, wabe eseqala ukusebenza nomfowabo endaweni yokubuka izindiza. Lapho benza ucwaningo lwezezulu ngebhaluni. I-Flying yaba uthando olukhulu lososayensi osemusha. Ngo-1906, abazalwane bakwazi ukuqopha umlando womhlaba wonke ngezindiza zamabhaluni. Bachithe amahora angu-52 emoyeni, bedlula umsebenzi wangaphambili ngamahora angu-17.
Ngawo lowo nyaka, u-Alfred Wegener uqala uhambo lwakhe lokuqala lokuya eGreenland.
Bekanye nososayensi abangu-12, amatilosi angu-13 kanye nomculi oyedwa, bazohlola ugu lweqhwa. U-Wegener, njengesazi sesimo sezulu, akahloli kuphela umhlaba, kodwa nomoya ongaphezulu kwawo. Kungaleso sikhathi lapho kwakhiwa khona isiteshi sezulu sokuqala eGreenland.
Uhambo olwaluholwa umhloli wamazwe omhlaba nomlobi uLudwig Milius-Erichsen lwathatha cishe iminyaka emibili. Ngo-March 1907, Wegener
Kusukela ngo-1908 kuze kube yiMpi Yezwe Yokuqala, uWegener wayengumfundisi eNyuvesi yaseMarburg. Abafundi bakhe balazisa ngokukhethekile ikhono lakhe lokuhumusha ngisho nezihloko eziyinkimbinkimbi nemiphumela yocwaningo lwamanje ngendlela ecacile, eqondakalayo nelula.
Izinkulumo zakhe zaba yisisekelo kanye nendinganiso yezincwadi ze-meteorology, eyokuqala eyabhalwa ekuqaleni kuka-1909/1910: ().
Ngo-1912, uPeter Koch umema u-Alfred kolunye uhambo lokuya eGreenland. U-Wegener uhlehlisa umshado ohleliwe futhi uhamba. Ngeshwa, phakathi nohambo, uwela eqhweni futhi, ngokulimala okuningi, uzithola engenakuzisiza futhi ephoqeleka ukuba achithe isikhathi esiningi engenzi lutho.
Ngemva kokululama, abacwaningi abane balala eqhweni laphakade laseGreenland emazingeni okushisa angaphansi kuka-?45 degrees ngokokuqala ngqá emlandweni wesintu. Ngokufika kwentwasahlobo, leli qembu liya ohambweni futhi ngokokuqala ngqa liwela iGreenland endaweni yalo ebanzi kakhulu. Indlela enzima kakhulu, isithwathwa kanye nendlala kuyabalimaza. Ukuze basinde, kwadingeka babulale amahhashi nezinja zokugcina.
Phakathi neMpi Yezwe Yokuqala, u-Alfred wayengaphambili kabili futhi wabuya kabili elimele, okokuqala engalweni kwase kuba sentanyeni. Kusukela ngo-1915 uye wahlanganyela emsebenzini wesayensi.
Ngemva kwempi, waba inhloko yoMnyango Wezesayensi Yesimo Sezulu eNaval Observatory eHamburg, lapho abhala khona incwadi. Ngo-1924 wangena eNyuvesi yaseGraz. Ngo-1929, waqala amalungiselelo ohambo lwesithathu oluya eGreenland, lapho ashona khona ngemva nje kokuba eneminyaka engu-50 ubudala.
