Get My Drift? Wegener and His Continents
How continental drift came about and what it took to convince geologists
Wegener’s war…
Alfred Lothar Wegener was an infantry reserve officer when World War I began in 1914. He was called up for service immediately and served in some of the fiercest fighting in Belgium. The same month he joined in August, the German army began the siege of the Belgian city of Namur, surrounded by a ring of fortresses and manned by the Belgian 4th Division. The Germans applied what they learned earlier in the month at the Battle of Liege, and bombarded Namur with artillery before attacking with infantry. Wegener was injured in that battle at Namur on August 23, and then injured again at Puisieux, France on October 4.
Wegener was sent home to recuperate from October 1914 until July 1915. This is the story of what Wegener wrought during his recuperation.
The birth of continental drift…
Before the war, Wegener had studied meteorology among other things (his Ph.D. was in astronomy). After Wegener recovered from his injuries, he was reassigned to the…
