RAS question
Alfred Wegener is associated with which geological theory?
Correct answer: (B) Continental Drift Theory.
Alfred Wegener is associated with the Continental Drift Theory, which he proposed in 1912 to explain the changing positions of continents and oceans.
Explanation
Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, is linked with the Continental Drift Theory because he put forward a comprehensive argument in 1912 that the continents were not fixed in their present positions. He proposed that the continents had once been joined as Pangaea and later drifted apart. NCERT, Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 4: Distribution of Oceans and Continents explains that according to Wegener, all continents formed one continental mass, Pangaea, surrounded by a mega-ocean called Panthalassa, and around 200 million years ago Pangaea began to split. This is why the association is with continental drift, not later theories that explained or extended the mechanism of that movement.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sea Floor Spreading is not Wegener's theory; the option itself attributes it to Harry Hess in 1962, while Wegener's association is with continental drift.
- (C) Convection Current Theory is wrong here because the option attributes it to Arthur Holmes, not Alfred Wegener.
- (D) Plate Tectonics developed later in the 1960s by multiple scientists, whereas Wegener's 1912 contribution was the Continental Drift Theory.
Concept
This tests the World Geography concept of theories explaining the distribution and movement of continents and oceans. It recurs in RAS because continental drift, sea-floor spreading and plate tectonics are foundational to physical geography questions on landforms, earthquakes and ocean basins.