Question

Why was the idea of continental drift not initially accepted by many other scientists and the general public at the time?

Answer 1

Beyond the philosophical objections there was also initially a very serious question about what force would be sufficiently large to continue pushing large plates of rock. The original proposer of the modern theory, Wegener, has not compelling answer to this question. We now know there are convection currents in the earth mantle under the continental plates that provide such a force.