Name: ________________________________
Date: _________________________________
Chapter 10: Plate Tectonics
Section 3: The Changing Continents
Reshaping Earth’s Crust
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Slow movements of tectonic plates change the size and shape of the continents over
_________________________________________ of years.
All of the continents that exist today contain large areas of stable rock, called
_______________________________, that are older than ______________________________.
Rocks within the cratons that have been exposed at Earth’s surface are called ______________.
One way that continents change shape is by __________________________________________.
Rifting - the process by which Earth’s crust __________________________; can occur within
continental crust or oceanic crust.
Continents change not only by breaking apart but also by _______________________________.
Most continents consist of cratons surrounded by a patchwork of ________________________.
Terrane - a piece of _____________________________ that has a unique geologic history and
that may be part of a larger piece of lithosphere, such as a continent.
When a tectonic plate carrying a terrane subducts under a plate made of continental crust, the
terrane is _____________________ of the subducting plate and becomes part of the continent.
The process in which a terrane becomes part of a continent is called ______________________.
Effects of Continental Change
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_____________________climates are a result of past movements of ______________________
plates. When continents move, the flow of air and moisture around the globe changes and
causes climates to change.
Geologic evidence shows that ____________ once covered most of Earth’s continental surfaces.
As continents began to drift around the globe, however, global temperatures changed and much
of the _______________________________________.
As continents rift or as mountains form, populations of organisms are _____________________.
When populations are separated, new species may __________________ from existing species.
Name: ________________________________
Date: _________________________________
The Supercontinent Cycle
 Using ___________________________ from many scientific fields, scientists can construct a
general picture of continental change throughout time.
 Scientists think that, at several times in the past, the continents were arranged into large
landmasses called ______________________________________.
 Supercontinents broke apart to form smaller continents that moved around the globe.
Eventually, the smaller continents _______________________ to form another supercontinent.
 Supercontinent cycle the process by which supercontinents form and break apart over
__________________________________________________________________.
 Why Supercontinents Form
o The movement of plates toward ____________________________ boundaries causes
continents to ______________________. Because neither continent subducts beneath
the other, the plate boundary becomes _______________________, and a new
convergent boundary forms. Over time, all of the continents collide to form a
supercontinent.
o As ___________________________ from Earth’s interior builds up under the
supercontinent, rifts form in the supercontinent. The supercontinent breaks apart, and
plates carrying separate continents move ____________________________________.
 Formation of Pangaea
o Pangaea - the supercontinent that formed ____________________________________
and that began to break up ________________________________________________.
o Several mountain ranges, such as the __________________________ Mountains and
the Ural Mountains formed during the collisions that created Pangaea.
o A body of water called the ___________________ cut into the eastern edge of Pangaea.
o Panthalassa - the single, large _____________________ that covered Earth’s surface
during the time the supercontinent Pangaea existed.
Name: ________________________________
Date: _________________________________
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Breakup of Pangaea
o About 200 million years ago (during the _________________________), Pangaea began
to break into two continents
 Laurasia and ______________________________________
o Laurasia drifted ____________________________, rotated, and broke up to form North
America and Eurasia.
o Gondwanaland also broke into ___________________continents. One broke apart to
become Africa and South America. The other separated to form India,
__________________________________, and Antarctica.
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The Modern Continents
o Slowly, the continents moved into their _____________________________ positions.
o As the continents drifted, they collided with __________________ and other
continents. Mountain ranges, such as the ______________________________, the
Andes, and the Alps, formed.
o Tectonic plate __________________________ also caused new oceans to open up and
caused others to close.
Name: ________________________________
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Date: _________________________________
Geography of the Future
o As tectonic plates continue to move, Earth’s geography will change
___________________________________.
o Scientists predict that in __________________________________, the continents will
come together again to form a new supercontinent.