Question

Briefly describe how the present day distribution of the fossil Glossopteris Flora can be used as evidence in support of continental drift.

Answer 1

A German meteorologist, Alfred Wegener hypothesized that the continents are not the stable bodies, they were once existed as a single continent (it was named as Pangaea) but later broke up and moved around the Earth and settled at their current positions, this was described as continental drift.

The dispersal of Glossopteries is providing evidence for this continental drift, as these seeds are very heavy; they cannot be distributed by wind or might not be viable by the time they travel across the oceans. There is no relation between the climatic zones of fossils found and the plants associated with the Glossopteris. In case of animals also, we cannot expect a freshwater reptile like Mesosaurus to swim across the Atlantic.