The Theory of Continental
Drift
Continental Drift Theory
• Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912
• 250 million years ago, all of the continents
were combined into one super-continent
called “Pangaea”
• The continents gradually drifted apart to
where they are today
Evidence to Support the Theory
“Puzzle Pieces”
• Continents look like
they could be part of
a giant jigsaw puzzle
Distribution of Fossils
• Plant and animal
fossils found on the
coastlines of different
continents
Sequence of Rocks
• Same rock patterns
found in South
America, India, Africa,
Antarctica and
Australia
Ancient Climates
• Tropical plant remains
(coal deposits) found
in Antarctica
• Glaciation in Africa,
South America, India,
and Australia during
the same time
Problems With The Theory
• No mechanism for movement of
continents
• Wind and currents could possibly move
fossils
• Theory was not accepted by scientists
Your job is to …..
• Using the evidence presented by the
‘continental drift’ theory, you will
reconstruct what you think Pangea looked
like more than 200 million years ago.
• Puzzle piece key:
– F = fossils
– M =mountain belts
– G = glacial deposits
Pangaea Questions
• Explain how mountain chains provided
evidence for the existence of Pangea.
• Explain how fossils provided evidence for
the existence of Pangea.
• Explain why India has evidence of glaciers
that are more than 240 million years old
even though it is located near the equator.
1= North America 2= Eurasia
3=South America 4=Africa 5=India
6=Antarctica 7=Australia