INTRODUCTORY NOTES
In 1910, Alfred Wegener (German scientist) hypothesized that Earth’s continents had moved
· All were once joined together in a single landmass (supercontinent) called Pangae
· The idea is referred to as continental drift
· Pangaea existed about 250-300 million years ago
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EVIDENCE FOR CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Fossils – any remains of a once-living organism
- Fossils of the same plants and animals on every continent
- The continents must have been together at some point
- Organisms start/evolve from one place
- Glossopteris (fern – 250 mya), lystrosaurus (reptile), and mesosaurus (reptile) fossils
Rocks –
- The age and composition of rocks along shores of opposing continents are similar
Landforms –
- Matching folded mountains along the eastern coast of S. America and the western coast of Africa
- The Great Rift Valley – evidence that Africa is splitting due to continued drifting
- European and North American coal fields line up
Climate evidence –
- There are fossils of warm weather plants and animals on cold continents and vice versa
- Glaciers covered part of Africa at some point so it had to be closer to the south pole before
Wegener’s hypothesis rejected
• He had no explanation for why continents moved - no viable mechanism
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Continental Drift Lab
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Use the CK12 links below to learn more about CONTINENTAL DRIFT:
For each lesson, complete the reading, any videos, real world applications, practice questions, and the quiz.
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Continental Drift Practice Quiz
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