Continental Drift (17.2) As people began to draw more accurate maps of the world they were curious about the shape of the continents. It looked as if many of them could fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. In 1912 German meteorologist Alfred Wegener began to gather evidence of a changing Earth.

Wegener’s Lines of Evidence Continental Drift (17.2) Wegener’s Lines of Evidence Puzzle fit on continents (Africa and South America) Identical fossil records on separate land masses Matching geological features (mountains, etc.) Coal deposits in non-tropical areas (Antarctica) Evidence of glaciers near Equator (Africa)

The Fossil Record (17.2) Some rare plant and animal fossils are found in parts of the world separated by large bodies of water. How could plants and land animals cross the water?

Matching Mountains (17.2) What does this suggest? The mountains in North Eastern North America have very distinct patterns of rock layers Mountains on Europe’s west coast and parts of Africa and South America share similar patterns despite being very far away. What does this suggest?

Ancient Glacial Evidence (17.2) There are two possible explanations Glaciers will scour any rock they move over. This leaves a distinctive pattern of lines in the rock as evidence that a glacier was once there. There are two possible explanations

Challenges to Continental Drift How does it work?!

Tectonic Plate Theory!