Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, proposed the continental drift theory which hypothesized that the continents were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea approximately 200 million years ago. Wegener observed that the continents seemed to fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The continental drift theory provided explanations for fossil, rock, and climate evidence found on separated continents. However, the theory was controversial at the time because it lacked a mechanism for how the continents could drift apart.

1. CONTINENTAL
DRIFT THEORY
EARTH SCIENCE: CHAPTER 1
B Y : M S PA U L A M A R I E M L L I D O

2. ALFRED WEGENER
•German meteorologist;
proposed the Continental
DriftTheory
•Observation: Jigsaw Puzzle
•Continents were once a
one large landmass 200 mya
– PANGAEA
“All earth/land.”

4. •Hypothesis:
the continents
have moved
slowly to their
current
locations

5. EVIDENCE FOR
CONTINENTAL DRIFT THEORY
Experimentation/ Investigation:
•Rock Formation
•Fossils
•Climate

6. PANGEA PUZZLE
ACTIVITY
G RO U P C L E A N E R S
1 0 M I N U T E S

7. • You will be piecing together a puzzle of the
supercontinent Pangea based on fossil and rock
evidence on the present day continents.
• 1. On the puzzle pieces handout, assign a color to each
type of fossil or mountain belt in the legend and color
the areas on the landmasses according to the legend.
• 2. Use scissors to cut along the borders of the
continents.These are the
• approximate shape of the continents after Pangea broke
up.

8. • 3. Place the continents on a piece of construction
paper and move them
• around using the fossil and mountain chain evidence
to match the continents together in the position
they were in when they were part of
•Pangea.The pieces may not fit together exactly!
• 4.When you have assembled Pangea based on the
fossil and rock locations, glue the continents onto
your construction paper in the shape of
• the supercontinent. Glue the legend to your puzzle.

9. GUIDE
QUESTIONS

10. 1. What is the idea of
continental drift?
2. Which 2 continents have
the most obvious fit of the
coastlines?
3. How were the fossil
symbols and mountain belts
helpful in deciding where
to move the continents?

11. 4. Why don’t the present
shapes of the continents fit
perfectly into a
supercontinent?
5. Which fossil occurs on the
most landmasses? what does
this suggest about when
these particular continents
broke up?

12. EVIDENCE:
ROCK FORMATION
•US
Appalachian
Mountains
similar to rock in
Greenland and
Europe

14. EVIDENCE:
FOSSILS

15. EVIDENCE: ANIMAL FOSSILS
•Fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus have
been found in South America and Africa.

17. EVIDENCE: PLANT FOSSILS
•Glossopteris fern -
found on 5 separate
land masses
(Africa,Australia, India,
South America, and
Antarctica).

19. EVIDENCE: CLIMATE
•The appearance of Glossopteris plant
on so many different continents also
supportWegener’s idea that were once
connected and had similar climates

20. Glacial deposits and rock surfaces scoured and
polished by glaciers are found in several land masses.
(South America,Africa, India, and Australia)

21. IF YOU LIVED
DURING
WEGENER’S TIME,
WILL YOU
BELIEVE HIM?

22. A CONTROVERSIAL IDEA
WHY?
•“How did the
continents drift
apart?” = REJECTED
•Theory: moved by the
spin of the Earth.
•Not enough evidence

23. EXIT SLIP
1. Who was the person who came up with the
hypothesis of Continental Drift?
2. What was the large landmass called?
3. Name three main types of
evidence that supports Continental Drift.
4. Why was the theory controversial in its time?