Name ______________________
Earth Science
Pd _______
Continental Drift – A Puzzling Activity
Overview
Although Alfred Wegener was not the first to suggest that continents have moved about the Earth, his
presentation of carefully compiled evidence for continental drift inspired decades of scientific debate.
Wegener's evidence, in concert with compelling evidence provided by post World War II technology,
eventually led to universal acceptance of the theory of Plate Tectonics in the scientific community
Objective
Your objective is to align some of today’s continents into their positions about 200 million years ago as part of
the supercontinent, Pangaea. The pieces will not fit together like a perfect puzzle, although many of the
coastlines are similar. Use the fossil evidence provided to complete this puzzle.
Directions
Step 1: Identify and label the continents on the fossil evidence page by comparing them to the world map
provided.
Step 2: Color the fossil evidence as indicated on the legend.
Step 3: Cut out the continents found on the fossil evidence page.
Step 4: Align all the continents to their correct positions and paste them on another page.
Step 5: Answer the questions the questions below using the materials provided.
Continental Drift Questions
1. Which fossil would make the best argument for continental drift: Mesosaurus, Cynognathus, or
Lystrosaurus? Explain why.
2. Do the continents seem to fit together better at the continental shelfs or the continents themselves?
What might this tell us about plate boundaries?
3. Compare the continents you have aligned with the continents on the world map. Which continents
moved the most and which moved the least?
Name ______________________
Earth Science
Pd _______
Name ______________________
Earth Science
Pd _______
Name ______________________
Earth Science
Pd _______