---
id: kb-2026-00369
title: Continental Drift
schema_type: TechArticle
category: science
language: en
confidence: low
last_verified: "2026-05-28"
created_date: "2026-05-22"
generation_method: ai_structured
ai_models:
  - claude-opus
derived_from_human_seed: true
conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-continental-drift-1
    statement: Alfred Wegener proposed continental drift in the early twentieth century.
    source_title: Continental drift
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/science/continental-drift-geology
    confidence: low
  - id: fact-continental-drift-2
    statement: USGS describes Pangaea as a supercontinent assembled before the modern continents separated.
    source_title: Historical perspective
    source_url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
    confidence: low
  - id: fact-continental-drift-3
    statement: >-
      Plate tectonics later supplied a mechanism for continental motion through moving lithospheric
      plates.
    source_title: Understanding plate motions
    source_url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html
    confidence: low
completeness: 0.88
known_gaps:
  - This compact repair keeps only source-mapped public claims from the sampled audit entry.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - title: Continental drift
    type: encyclopedia
    year: 2025
    url: https://www.britannica.com/science/continental-drift-geology
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  - title: Historical perspective
    type: government_report
    year: 1999
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html
    institution: U.S. Geological Survey
  - title: Understanding plate motions
    type: government_report
    year: 1999
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html
    institution: U.S. Geological Survey
secondary_sources: []
updated: "2026-05-28"
---

## TL;DR

Continental drift proposed moving continents and later plate tectonics explained the mechanism. This repair maps geology claims to Wegener, USGS, and Britannica sources.

## Core Explanation

The sampled entry had low source coverage. The repaired version keeps facts about Wegener, Pangaea, and plate-tectonic explanation.

## Further Reading

- [Continental drift](https://www.britannica.com/science/continental-drift-geology)
- [Historical perspective](https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html)
- [Understanding plate motions](https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html)