Transcript Continental Drift - Paramus Public Schools

Midterm Schedule
•
•
•
•
Thursday January 28 (Periods 1 and 5)
Friday January 29 (Periods 2 and 6)
Monday February 1 (Periods 3 and 7)
Tuesday February 2 (Periods 4 and 8)
– 1st Exam: 7:45AM – 9:50AM
– 2nd Exam: 10:00AM-12:05PM
Continental Drift
What evidence do scientists have to
support the fact that the Earth’s crust
is continuously moving?
1500s – Abraham Ortelius
• Saw that the coastlines of
Africa and the Americas
looked similar
• Concluded they must
have once fit together
• Broke apart due to floods,
earthquakes and
volcanoes
1800s –
Eduard Suess
• Stated that the
southern continents
were once a single
landmass called
Gondwanaland
• Northern continents
called Laurasia
1900s – Alfred Wegener
• Continental Drift
– Hypothesis that Earth’s
continents were joined
as a single landmass that
broke apart about 200
mya (million years ago)
and slowly moved to
their present locations
Pangaea = All Earth
Evidence from Fossils
• Similar fossils of several different plants
and animals that once lived near each other
found on widely separated continents
• Land animals did not swim across ocean
Evidence from Rock Formations
• Rock types found
in Appalachian
Mountains similar
to those found in
Greenland and
Europe
Climatic Evidence
• Coal deposits in Antarctica indicate that the
climate was much warmer in the past
• Must have been located closer to the
equator before it drifted
Flaws in Continental Drift Theory
• Not able to explain what force was large
enough to move such large pieces of earth
over great distances
• Not able to explain how the ocean basins
were not shattered, move through solids
Review Q’s
• What does Pangaea mean in Greek?
• What was Ortelius’ contribution to Con.
Drift?
• Who is credited with the theory of Con.
Drift?
• List and describe the three main evidences
for Con Drift.
• What is one major flaw in the theory of
Con. Drift?