Who is credited with proposing the theory of continental drift?

The theory of continental drift is credited to Alfred Wegener, who proposed it in the early 20th century. Wegener suggested that the continents were once part of a single large landmass, which he called Pangaea, and that they have since drifted apart to their current positions. His ideas were based on several lines of evidence, including the fit of the continents, fossil distribution across continents, and similarities in rock formations. Wegener's theory was foundational in the development of modern plate tectonics, even though it faced skepticism initially due to a lack of a convincing mechanism for how continents could move.

This theory paved the way for a greater understanding of geological processes and the movement of tectonic plates over geological time. Other figures mentioned, such as Antonio Snider, Charles Lyell, and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, contributed to geological and biological sciences but did not specifically develop the theory of continental drift in the way that Wegener did. Their work did not address the movement of continents in the context of plate tectonics.