Name: __________________________
Block ______________
Date _____________
CONTINENTAL DRIFT PUZZLE – DUPLICATING WEGENER’S WORK
Objectives
1. To duplicate some of Wegener's work by reassembling the super-continent of Pangaea and
2. To draw inferences about his theory by examining the evidence.
Materials:
map of the continents scissors glue sticks 8'/,"X14" paper
Procedure
1. Cut out the continents supplied on the attached sheet along the continental shelf, make sure that you
do not lose the small pieces.
2. Fit the continents back together to form Pangaea; one way to do this is to arrange the continents on the
table in the way they exist today; doing this will make it easier for you to reassemble the supercontinent. Do not glue anything to the 8½" x 14" paper until you are sure that the continents are
arranged the way you want.
3. Once you are certain of the arrangement of the continents, glue them to the paper and answer the
questions on the other side of the page.
Questions
1. On the scale of 1 — 10 below, circle the number that represents to you the degree of fit of the
continental puzzle pieces.
1________ 2 ______ 3 _______ 4 ______ 5 _______ 6 ______ 7 _______ 8 ______ 9 ______ 10
2. Which continents were easiest to fit? _____________________________________________
3. Which continents were hardest to fit? _____________________________________________
4. Are there any gaps in the fit of the continents? ________ Are there any overlaps? _________
5. What are some possible explanations for these gaps and overlaps? (hint: if the theory is true, it
happened more than 200 million years ago; think back to Earth Science and consider what kinds of
changes can occur on the earth's surface over 200 million years)
Gaps _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Overlaps ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Does the evidence presented in this activity constitute proof of Wegener's theory of continental drift?
_________
If the answer is no, what other evidence would you require to accept the theory?
___________________________________________________________________________
Key