Post on 02-Jan-2016
Continental Drift TheoryContinental Drift Theory
• Proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912
• 250 million years ago, all of the continents were combined into one super-continent called “Pangaea”
• The continents gradually drifted apart to where they are today
Distribution of FossilsDistribution of Fossils
• Plant and animal fossils found on the coastlines of different continents
Sequence of RocksSequence of Rocks
• Same rock patterns found in South America, India, Africa, Antarctica and Australia
Ancient ClimatesAncient Climates
• Tropical plant remains (coal deposits) found in Antarctica
• Glaciation in Africa, South America, India, and Australia during the same time
Problems With The TheoryProblems With The Theory
• No mechanism for movement of continents
• Wind and currents could possibly move fossils
• Theory was not accepted by scientists
Your job is to …..Your job is to …..
• Using the evidence presented by the ‘continental drift’ theory, you will reconstruct what you think Pangea looked like more than 200 million years ago.
• Puzzle piece key:– F = fossils– M =mountain belts– G = glacial deposits
Pangaea QuestionsPangaea Questions
• Explain how mountain chains provided evidence for the existence of Pangea.
• Explain how fossils provided evidence for the existence of Pangea.
• Explain why India has evidence of glaciers that are more than 240 million years old even though it is located near the equator.