What type of scientific thinking did Wegener use to develop his theory?

Alfred Wegener, the German meteorologist and geophysicist who proposed the theory of continental drift in 1912, utilized several types of scientific thinking to develop his theory. The primary types of scientific thinking he used include inductive reasoning, the synthesis of diverse evidence, and hypothesis testing.

1. Inductive Reasoning: Wegener gathered various pieces of evidence from different scientific disciplines and noted that they all suggested a past connection among the continents. His observations of similar fossil records across oceans, the fit of the continents (like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, especially the coastlines of South America and Africa), and similar geological formations across distant shores led him to hypothesize that the continents were once joined together and drifted apart over time.

2. Synthesis of Diverse Evidence: Wegener did not limit himself to a single source of evidence or a single scientific field. He combined data from paleontology (study of fossils), climatology (study of climate), geology (study of Earth's structure), and geography to support his idea that continents moved.

3. Hypothesis Testing: Although the testing of his hypothesis was limited with the technology available to him at the time, Wegener still sought to find explanations and predictions based on his theory that could be tested. He looked for evidence that could potentially falsify his theory, which is an essential part of the scientific method. However, the lack of a plausible mechanism for continental movement was a significant factor that led to skepticism about his theory at the time.