Document #________
Heading:
Earth’s Changing Surface
HOMEWORK #6
DIRECTIONS:
o Use the word bank to fill in the missing words below.
o Answer in complete sentences where appropriate.
Fossil
Word Bank
Continental Drift
Pangaea
1. All the continents were once joined together in a super continent called ____________, meaning “all
lands.”
2. A(n) _________________ is any trace of an ancient organism preserved in a rock. This was one of the
key pieces of evidence used by Wegener to support his Theory of Continental Drift.
3. Wegener’s theory that the continents slowly moved over Earth’s surface became known as
_____________________________.
4. Who developed the theory of continental drift?
A. Charles Darwin
B. Harry Hess
C. Albert Einstein
D. Alfred Wegener
5. In general, what is the theory of continental drift? Use your own words to describe it!
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Match the evidence on the left with details about the evidence on the right.
Evidence
Details of Evidence
a. Shape of many continents fit together like puzzle pieces.
_____ Fossils
Mountain ranges in South Africa line up with mountain ranges in Argentina
European coal fields match up with similar coal fields in N. America.
_____ Climate
b. Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus found in places now separated by oceans.
Fernlike plant Glossopteris found on continents now widely separated.
c. Ice-covered islands have fossils of tropical plants.
Scratches in rock in southern Africa indicate (show) it once was covered by glaciers so it must
_____ Landforms
have been located further south at one time.
7. Explain why Alfred Wegener’s fellow scientists did not accept his Theory of Continental Drift even
though he had a lot of evidence. _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
THE THEORY OF CONTINENTAL DRIFT
The idea that the continents might have once formed from a single large supercontinent is known as the
Theory of Continental Drift. "Drift" refers to the idea that the continents slowly moved away from each
other, or drifted apart.
DIRECTIONS:
o Carefully read the following statements from scientists who discussed the Theory of Continental Drift.
o Think about what evidence would support or would not support the Theory of Continental Drift.
o In the table below, check "yes" if you think the statement is evidence that does support, and "no" if
you think it does not support the Theory of Continental Drift.
o Explain why you chose your answer.
o HINT: Only one statement is a “NO”!
Statement
In 1858: Eduard Suess points out that fossils of the Glossopteris
trees are found in India, South America, southern Africa,
Australia, and Antartica.
Yes
No
Why? Or Why not?
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
Popular Geology magazine, March 12, 1912: "Continents are so
large they must always have been where they are."
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
1965: Geologist Edward Bullard uses computers to match coasts
of South America and Africa. They match extremely well at a
depth of 1,000 meters.
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
1980s: Satelites and lasers are used to measure continents
drifting. They continue to move about 2 cm per year.
Fossils of Megascolecina earthworms are found in South America,
Africa, India, and Australia, as well as the islands of Madagascar
and New Guinea.
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________