Fossil symbols and mountain belts were crucial in determining the past positions and movements of continents. Fossils of the same species found on now widely separated continents (such as Mesosaurus, Glossopteris, Lystrosaurus) indicated that these continents were once joined, enabling the species to inhabit those connected landmasses. The presence of identical fossils on continents that are currently separated by vast oceans suggested these continents must have been adjacent before drifting apart.
Similarly, mountain belts provided evidence of continental connections because mountain ranges on different continents lined up when the continents were reassembled. These mountain belts marked the boundaries of moving plates and helped show the directions in which the continents drifted. The alignment of similar-aged mountain belts across continents suggested that the landmasses were once part of a continuous range before the continents moved away from each other.
Together, fossil distributions and matching mountain belts gave scientists key evidence to decide how to position the continents relative to one another in the past, supporting the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics.
