Analyzing Evidence : Continental Drift

Analyzing Evidence

Continental Drift

Directions

• Answer the analysis questions to practice identifying evidence.

• TAKE NOTES as needed, there will be a CER of sorts coming soon!

Multiple Select

1858: Geologist Eduard Seuss point out that fossils of the Glossopteris plants are found in southern Africa, South America, Australia, Antartica, and India.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

Wegener examines the location of tiny rocks and the direction of grooves formed by large glaciers scraping across southern areas of Africa, South America, Australia, Antartica and India. He concludes that if all these places were fitted together, they would form a continuous ice sheet expanding outward in all directions.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

Frankfurt News, January 6, 1912 : Annoucement that German scientist Alfred Wegener will speak at the Geological Association meeting.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

Popular Geology magazine, March 12, 1912 : "Continents are so large they must have always been where they are."

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

Wegener observes that a South American mountain range in Argentina lines up with an ancient African mountan range in Southern Africa when the two continents are placed together. He writes: "It is just as if we were to refit the torn pieces of a newspaper by matching their edges and then checking wheather the lines of print ran smoothly across. If they do, there is nothing left to conclude that the pieces were in fact joined in that way. "

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

1927 : Geologist Alexander du Toit obseves rock layers on the western coast of Africa in the following sequence: baslat rock , shale containing fossil reptiles, coal layer containing Glossopteris fossils, rocks containing Mesosaurus fossils, and shale. He discovers and almost identical sequence of rock layers on the eastern coast of South America.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

1944 : Geologist Baily Willis calls Wegener's theory a fairy tale. He say it seems impossible that the continents could move.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

1965 : Geologist Edward Bullard uses computers to match coast of South America to Africa. They match extrememly well at an ocean depth of 1, 000 meters.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

1980s : Sataliites and lasers are used to measure the movement of continents. They continue to move of an average of about 2 cm (0.8 in) per year.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

Multiple Select

Fossils of Megascolecina earthworms can be found in South America, Africa, India, and Australia as well as the islands of Madagascar and New Guinea.

• This is evidence

• This is not evidence

• This does support the idea that the continents have moved.

• This does not support the idea that the continents have moved.

The evidence

• FOSSILS- same fossils found on different continents

• COASTLINE SHAPE- the coastlines look like they fit together like a puzzle

• ROCK STRIATIONS- evidence of glacial movement