CONTINENTAL DRIFT
http://www.tectonics.caltech.edu/movi
es/outreach/sumatra/pangaea.mov
Day 1
 Before: Continental Drift pre-test
 During: Vocabulary
 After: Discuss vocabulary
Continental Drift
Vocabulary
1. Plate
Tectonics
The pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in slow, constant
motion and float on convection currents in the mantle.
2. Continental
Drift
This is a theory developed by Alfred Wegener that states
that Earth's plates were once one huge landmass and
over years they were broken apart and drifted to their
present location.
3. Pangaea
The name that Alfred Wegener gave to Earth's one huge
landmass that existed 300 million years ago. It means all
Earth.
4. Alfred
Wegener
A German scientist that developed the theory of
continental drift. He did not have any proof although he
based his theory on the fact that the continents looked
like pieces of a puzzle that fit together.
5. Fossil
A trace of an ancient organism (animal or plant) that has
been preserved in rock.
Continental Drift
Vocabulary
6. Glossopteris
A fossil of a seed from a fern plant. This seed fossil was
found on the continents of Africa, South America,
Australia, India, and Antarctica. This seed was too heavy
to be carried by wind or water. The continents must have
been connected at one time.
7. Lystrosaurus
and
Mesosaurus
Fossils of a hippo-like creature and a reptile. These fossils
were found on continents that are separated by great
oceans and neither animal could swim those
distances. Therefore the continents must have been
connected at one time.
Day 2
 Before:
 Learn the “Sid shuffle”
 https://youtu.be/uMuJxd2Gpxo
 During: PowerPoint/Notes
 After: Exit slip
Alfred L. Wegener
 Geologist Alfred Wegener
noticed similar rocks & fossil
remains were found on
continents which seemed to
fit together
 He called this “super”
continent called Pangaea
 In 1912 Wegener
published the
first version &
died defending
his theory
PANGAEA
the large landmass that included all of Earth’s
present day continents
Support for Continental Drift
1. SHAPE OF THE CONTINENTS
Continents fit together like puzzle pieces
Support for Continental Drift
1. SHAPE OF THE CONTINENTS
 Wegener was not the only
one to notice the fit of the
continents.
 1858: Antonio Pelligrini
depicted Africa and South
America connected.
 He was one of the first
scientists to publish maps
depicting the apparent fit of
the continents.
Support for Continental Drift
2. EVIDENCE FROM FOSSILS
SAME FOSSILS: DIFFERENT CONTINENTS
Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus were incapable of swimming
across a large ocean.
Fossils of the gymnosperm Glossopteris
 Found in all of the
southern continents
provide strong evidence
that the continents
were once a
supercontinent
 (seeds could not travel the great
distances and were too fragile to
survive by a trip across the
ocean)
Support for Continental Drift
3. EVIDENCE FROM LANDFORMS
Mountain ranges
 SAME ROCK:
DIFFERENT RANGE
Existing mountain ranges
separated by vast
oceans contain rocks of
identical mineral content.
 A prime example are the
Appalachian Mountains
in the eastern U.S and
the Caledonian
Mountains in the British
Isles.
Support for Continental Drift
3. LOCATION OF COAL DEPOSITS
Coal deposits have been found in temperate and polar
regions; however, coal is formed in tropical regions.
Support for Continental Drift
4. Evidence of Climate
GLACIAL SCARS- SAME
SCARS: DIFFERENT
CONTINENTS
4. Evidence of Climate (cnt’d)
 Scientists found
evidence of
TROPICAL plants on
the island of
Spitsbergen (which is
now in the Polar
Arctic region.
Spitsbergen must
have been in a
tropical climate at
one time.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT IN DOUBT
Why didn’t people believe in continental drift?
 People couldn’t image how the earth could
be millions of years old
 People couldn’t image a force great enough
to move the continents
BUT by the 1960’s evidence would prove
continental drift is TRUE and…. The story
continues (as does all good science!)
Day 3:
 You can print out the websites for them or let them use
computers and look up on their own.
 Before: ABC Brainstorm Pangaea (5
minutes)
 During: Pangaea Webquest (40 min)
 After: Discuss answers to the
sheet (5 minutes)
Pangaea Webquest
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/ideas/gondwana.html
Look at the website listed above to answer the following questions.
1) What was different about Antarctica 200 million years ago (mya)?
2) What is Pangaea?
3) What happened during the past 200 mya that caused these changes into the Antarctica we know
today?
Now click on the link “interactive animation” (URL address below) and answer the following
questions.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/ideas/gondwana2.html
4) What is the theory of continental drift? (hint: click on the link)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
5) How fast can continental drift move? ___________________
6) How long ago did Pangaea begin to split up? ______________
7) What are the names of the two large landmasses that Pangaea split into? ____________
________________
8) What did each of these landmasses continue to split into?
9) Fill in the flow chart to the right based on your answers to #8.
10) Provide and explain one type of evidence that supports continental drift.
11) Provide and explain another type of evidence that supports continental drift.
12) Provide and explain another type of evidence that supports continental drift.
13) Provide and explain another type of evidence that supports continental drift.
14) How many million years ago (mya) did Australia break apart from Antarctica? _____________
15) Using the timeline function (beginning 235 mya), which direction has South America drifted?
___________
Which direction has Africa drifted? ______________ Which direction has Australia drifted?
____________
Which direction has Antarctica drifted? _____________ Which direction has India drifted?
_____________
Visit: http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/continental_drift/continental_drift.swf
and click the circle titled “225 million years ago.” Try to identify Pangaea’s landmasses by dragging
down our Earth’s current continents to their correct location 225 mya. Next, click on “180-200
million years ago” and try again to identify Laurasia’s and Gondwanaland’s landmasses.
Day 4
 Before: Read instructions aloud
(attached)
 During: Pangaea Puzzle
 After: Discuss answers
 Extra: Cross word puzzle
(Before)
Instructions:
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Instructions:
You will be piecing together a puzzle of the supercontinent Pangea based on fossil
and rock evidence on the present day continents.
1. On the puzzle pieces handout, assign a color to each type of fossil or mountain
belt in the legend and color the areas on the landmasses according to the legend.
2. Use scissors to cut along the borders of the continents. These are the approximate
shape of the continents after Pangea broke up.
3. Place the continents on a piece of construction paper and move them around
using the fossil and mountain chain evidence to match the continents together in the
position they were in when they were part of Pangea. The pieces may not fit
together exactly!
4. When you have assembled Pangea based on the fossil and rock locations, glue the
continents onto your construction paper
During (Questions)
Questions:
1. What is the idea of Continental Drift?
2. Which 2 continents have the most obvious fit of the coastlines?
3. How were the fossil symbols and mountain belts helpful in deciding where to
move the continents?
4. Why don’t the present shapes of the continents fit perfectly into a
supercontinent?
5. Which fossil occurs on the most landmasses? What does this suggest about when
these particular continents broke up?
Day 5 test