1) Fossils of the same plant and animal species are found on different continents. For example, fossils of the Glossopteris plant are found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
2) Geological structures like mountain ranges and fossil arrangements on different continents match up when the continents are placed together.
3) Studies of climate indicators like coal deposits and rock layers show that continents like Antarctica were once in warmer tropical regions, indicating the continents have moved over time.
1) Fossils of the same plant and animal species are found on different continents. For example, fossils of the Glossopteris plant are found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
2) Geological structures like mountain ranges and fossil arrangements on different continents match up when the continents are placed together.
3) Studies of climate indicators like coal deposits and rock layers show that continents like Antarctica were once in warmer tropical regions, indicating the continents have moved over time.
Original Description:
Activity worksheet for Evidence of Continental drift theory
1) Fossils of the same plant and animal species are found on different continents. For example, fossils of the Glossopteris plant are found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
2) Geological structures like mountain ranges and fossil arrangements on different continents match up when the continents are placed together.
3) Studies of climate indicators like coal deposits and rock layers show that continents like Antarctica were once in warmer tropical regions, indicating the continents have moved over time.
1) Fossils of the same plant and animal species are found on different continents. For example, fossils of the Glossopteris plant are found in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica.
2) Geological structures like mountain ranges and fossil arrangements on different continents match up when the continents are placed together.
3) Studies of climate indicators like coal deposits and rock layers show that continents like Antarctica were once in warmer tropical regions, indicating the continents have moved over time.
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Group Name: _________________________________ Date: _____________________
Introduction:
The Continental Drift Theory was developed in the early part of the 20th century, mostly by Alfred Wegener. Wegener said that continents move around on Earth’s surface and that they were once joined together as a single supercontinent. Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once united into a single supercontinent named Pangaea, meaning all earth in ancient Greek. That’s the true size and shape of a continent and many can be pieced together like a puzzle. The easiest link is between the eastern Americas and western Africa and Europe, but the rest can fit together too. He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents then moved to their current positions.
Besides the way the continents fit together, Wegener and his supporters collected a great deal of evidence for the continental drift theory. In this activity you will be like Wegener and his team. You will explore the different evidences given by Wegener to support his claim that the continents were once connected with each other.
Objectives:
At the end of the activity students should be able to:
1. Enumerate the evidences found in the present continents to support the continental drift theory. 2. Analyze evidences of continental drift theory. 3. Reconstruct Pangaea based on evidences found in each continent.
A. 1. Get the cut out continents from your teacher. 2. Name each continent. You may use a world map. 3. Connect each piece together using the symbols found in each continents. 4. Glue your connected continents in a manila paper.
B. Complete the table below.
ANALYZING EVIDENCE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY
Does it What evidence is support the being given? idea that Is it the A. Fossil correlation evidence Statements continents B. Puzzle fit of continents ? have C. Rock and moved? Mountain Evidence Yes No Yes No D. Paleoclimate 1. 1858: Geologist Eduard Seuss points out that fossils of the glossopteris plant are found in Southern Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica and India. 2. Wegener examines the location of tiny rocks and the direction of grooves formed by large glaciers scraping across southern areas of Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica and India. He concludes that if all these places were fitted together, they would form a continuous ice sheet expanding outward in all directions. 3. Frankfurt News, January 6, 1912: Announcement that German Scientist Alfred Wegener will speak at the Geological Association meeting. 4. Popular geology magazine, March 12, 1912: “ Continents are so large they must always have been where they are.” 5. Wegener observes that a South American mountain range in Argentina lines up with an ancient African mountain range in South Africa when the two continents are placed together. 6. 1927: Geologist Alexander du Toit observes rock layers on the western coast of Africa in the following sequence: basalt rock, shale containing fossil reptiles, coal layers containing Glossopteris fossils, rocks containing Mesosaurus fossils and shale. He discovers an almost identical sequence of rock layers on the eastern coast of South America. 7. 1944: Geologist Baily Willis calls Wegener’s theory a fairy tale. He argues that the theory should be ignored. 8. 1965: Geologist Edward Bullard uses computers to match coast of South America and Africa. They match extremely well at an ocean depth of 1,000 meters. 9. 1980s: Satellites and lasers are used to measure the movement of continents. They continue to move at an average of about 2 cm ( 0.08 in) per year. 10. Fossils of Megascolecina earthworms are found in South America, Africa , India and Australia, as well as the Islands of Madagascar and New Guinea. 11. Coal Beds were discovered in South America, Africa, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and even Antarctica. Coal beds were formed from the compaction and decomposition of swamp plants that lived million years ago. This also tells about the climate of these continents million years ago 12. The current location of Antarctica could not sustain substantial amount of life but studies on its rock layers and coal deposits shows a substantial amount of life. This means that Antarctica experience a tropical climate , it might have been closer to the equator. 13. Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus are freshwater reptiles. Fossils of these animals were discovered in different continents, such as in South America and Africa. It is impossible for these reptiles to swim over the vast oceans and move from one continent to another. Fossils were also found in Antarctica.
Question.
1. What are the evidences of Continental Drift Theory?
