The idea that plates move is not a new one. As far back as 500 years ago, map makers noticed something curious. They saw that the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa fit together like a puzzle.

Wegener In 1910, a young German scientist named Alfred Wegener began studying this question. Wegener proposed a hypothesis called “Continental Drift” to explain why. I stated that all the continents were once together in a single landmass and have drifted apart from each other.

Wegener’s Theory 2. Pangaea existed roughly 225 million years ago. 1. All continents were once togetehr in a supercontinent called Pangaea (All Lands). 3. Over millions of years, the continents drifted to their present-day locations. Wegener’s theory had three proposals:

Evidence For Drift Wegner stated 3 bits of evidence for his theory. 1. Fossil Evidence Fossils of reptiles and plants were found on widely separated continents.

Evidence For Drift Wegner stated 3 bits of evidence for his theory. 2. Climate Evidence Fossils of Scratches on rocks from glaciers have been found in warm South Africa. Fossils of tropical plants have been found in the cold Arctic.

Evidence For Drift Wegner stated 3 bits of evidence for his theory. 3. Geologic Evidence Limestone layers in America matched with layers in Scotland. Rock types found in Brazil matched rocks found in West Africa.

Reconstructing Pagaea 3. Let’s rock! Examine the evidence and try to match up landmass boundaries that show similar rock strata, and fossils. 2. Puzzle me this. Look at the shapes of continents and islands. What landmasses seem to fit together? 1. What’s the code? Create symbols for each type of evidence. Objective: To see how the continents appear to fit together and how the outline of the continents along with Wegener’s evidence supports the Theory of Continental Drift. 4. Hold that Pose. Look over the arrangement of the continents and islands and decide if the position of any of them should change. When you are satisfied with your map of Pangaea, tape or glue it down on page 72 in your ISN.