Du Toit, Alexander Logie (1878-1948), was a South African geologist. His book The Geology of South Africa (1926) became a standard reference work on the subject. He also made a major contribution to the theory of continental drift. According to this theory, Earth’s crust is divided into a number of large plates that move slowly over the surface of the globe. The continents are embedded in these plates and slowly drift with them. Du Toit’s book The Wandering Continent (1937) showed that there were important links between the Karoo area in the southern part of South Africa, and similar places in South America, India, and Australia.
Du Toit was born on March 14, 1878, near Cape Town. He studied mining engineering and geology in Scotland. In 1903, he returned to South Africa to join the Cape Geological Commission. Over a period of 15 years, he mapped in great detail the Karoo, a vast area of plateaus northeast of Cape Town. In 1918, he became chief geologist of the Department of Irrigation. In 1927, Du Toit became a consultant geologist in De Beers Consolidated Mines, a company involved in the mining and marketing of diamonds. He died in Cape Town in February 1948.
