Continental Drift

Continental Drift

How are Earth's continents related?

Multiple Select

Which statements describe Earth’s continents? Check all that apply.

• A continent is a large distinct landmass.

• There are seven continents on Earth.

• Continents remain the same shape and size over time.

• Continents cover two-thirds of Earth’s surface.

• Continents are always moving.

Multiple Choice

Which statement correctly summarizes Wegener’s theory of continental drift?

• All seven continents have always been in the same locations on Earth as they are today.

• When a meteorite crashed onto the planet, it broke the giant supercontinent Pangaea into smaller landmasses.

• The seven continents on Earth drifted until they formed one giant supercontinent, which Wegener called Pangaea.

• Over tens of millions of years, the giant supercontinent Pangaea began to slowly drift apart, forming the continents as they are known today.

Multiple Select

Which statements identify evidence of continental drift? Check all that apply.

• Explorers noticed that the continents were far apart from one another.

• Mountain ranges line up when some continents are placed side by side.

• The same animals and plants can currently be found in South America and Antarctica.

• South Africa was once covered by glaciers, according to geologic evidence.

• Explorers and mapmakers noticed that the continents fit together like puzzle pieces.

Multiple Choice

A plate moving at a rate of 4 cm/year is moving toward a plate that is 10,000 km away. In how many years will the plates collide?

• 250 million years

• 2,500 years

• 25 thousand years

• 250,000 years

Continental Drift

Assignment

Describe continental drift and explain the evidence that supports the theory

Fill in the Blanks

Continental drift was first proposed by a scientist named Alfred

? He theorized that the ?

were once one large landmass that drifted apart very slowly over a long time.

Fill in the Blanks

Continental drift was first proposed by a scientist named Alfred

? He theorized that the ?

were once one large landmass that drifted apart very slowly over a long time.

Multiple Choice

When did people begin to notice that coastlines of continents fit together like puzzle pieces?

• when satellites began taking pictures of Earth from space

• when Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift

• when early explorers traveled from Europe and Asia to the Americas

• when geologists first started examining the fossil record of South America

Multiple Select

Which statements about Pangaea are true according to widely accepted theories? Check all that apply.

• Pangaea existed two hundred thousand years ago.

• The landmass of Pangaea split into separate continents over time.

• Pangaea was discovered by Christopher Columbus.

• Pangaea was surrounded by the waters of the ocean.

• The coastline of Pangaea stayed consistent over time.

Multiple Select

Which statements describe evidence of continental drift? Check all that apply.

• Deserts line up when continents are pushed together.

• Mountain ranges often appear on the edges of continents.

• Fossils of the same animals appear on different continents.

• Tropical plants currently appear in both Antarctica and South America.

• Wegener’s theories were accepted by most geologists in the 1960s.

Multiple Choice

Mountain ranges often appear on the edges of continents. What theory does this support?

• Mountains were formed when Earth’s crust cooled and Earth shrank.

• Mountain ranges were formed when continents collided.

• Mountain ranges did not exist millions of years ago.

• Mountain ranges were formed only by glaciers.

Fill in the Blanks

Fossils on continents that are now separated by ?

~oceans

~mountains

~valleys

Fill in the Blanks

Continents closer to the equator have warmer climates, yet fossils of? ~tropical plants

~mammals

~dinosaurs

have been found on islands near the North Pole. This supports the idea that islands drifted from the equator.

Fill in the Blanks

This supports the idea that islands drifted from the equator.

Coal fields in?

~ Europe

~Africa

~South America

match those found in North America, supporting the theory of continental drift.

Multiple Choice

Evidence of what feature is found in South Africa, despite South Africa’s relatively mild climate?

• mountains

• glaciers

• coal fields

• tropical plant fossils

Multiple Select

What is the rate of motion of the Amur plate? Express your answer in

• 0.005 mm/year

• 0.05 mm/year

• 5 mm/year

• 50 mm/year

Multiple Select

Where would the plate be after 1 million years? Express your answer in m.

• 500,000 meters east

• 50,000 meters west

• 5,000 meters east

• 500 meters west

Multiple Select

What geologic feature will form between the Amur and Eurasian plates?

• volcanic islands

• volcanic mountains

• new ocean floor

• mountains