Due Date:
Name:
Earth lab: Puzzling Evidence
Date:
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/edu/dynamicplanet/wegener/
Period:
Alfred Lothar Wegener: Moving continents
Alfred Wegener was one of the first to realize that an understanding of how the Earth works required input and knowledge from all
the earth sciences. Wegener's scientific vision sharpened in 1914 as he was recuperating in a military hospital from an injury
suffered as a German soldier during World War I. While bed-ridden, he had ample time to develop an idea that had
intrigued him for years. Like others before him, Wegener had been struck by the remarkable fit of the coastlines of
South America and Africa. But, unlike the others, to support his theory Wegener sought out many other lines of
geologic and paleontologic evidence that these two continents were once joined. During his long convalescence,
Wegener was able to fully develop his ideas into the Theory of Continental Drift. This theory helps to explain that
the current seven continents once joined together as one supercontinent known as the Pangaea. Alfred Wegener
was able to demonstrate proof of his theory through fossils evidence of continent coastline matches, animal and
plant matches, rock and mountain matches, continental ice matches, and earth continental regions position. Through the
comparison of fossil evidence Alfred Wegener was able to gain universal acceptance of the theory of Plate Tectonics in the scientific
community. Wegener’s fossil evidence contributed to understanding historical facts about the changes of the earth. Wegener made
believers of skeptics that originally disputed his continental drift theory.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Label the land masses on each sheet. (Refer to the current world map for help.)
2.
Cut out each of the continents along the edge of the continental shelf (the outermost dark line) from the fossil evidence sheet.
3.
Color codes the “Key to Wegener evidence sheet”, and the Fossil evidence continent land mass sheet.
4.
Reconstruct the positions of the continents to create the “Pangaea”, original supercontinent.
5.
Using the fossil evidence sheet identify six proof sources on the evidence data chart that help support Wegener’s theory.
6.
Write a lab summary review that identifies why Alfred Wegener is an important figure. What problems did Alfred Wegener
face? How was Alfred Wegener able to influence skeptics among the scientific community to embrace his idea? What are
some examples of proof of evidence to support Alfred Wegener’s claims?
Proof of Evidence Data Results
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Resource Evidence Summary:
Write a lab summary review that identifies why Alfred Wegener is an important figure. What problems did Alfred Wegener face?
How was Alfred Wegener able to influence skeptics among the scientific community to embrace his idea? What are some examples
of proof of evidence to support Alfred Wegener’s claims? What can you infer about the continental mass Eurasia? Don’t forget to use
a sentence starter such as “According to the “
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