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The first complete theory of continental drift was proposed in 1912 by A. Wegener. Wegener's ideas were widely rejected until they were combined with Harry H. Hess's seafloor spreading hypothesis in the 1960s. The modern theory states that the Americas were joined with Europe and Africa until c.190 million years ago, when they split apart along what is now the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Subsequent tectonic plate movements brought the continents to their present positions.
