Continental Drift

Identify what Pangaea is.

• An ancient continental mass that has remained intact

• The structure of today’s continents

• An ancient continental mass thought to have broken up to form most of today’s continents

• The theory of continental drift

Recall three pieces of evidence Wegener used to help support his theory of continental drift.

• Matching of zones of different rock types

• Matching of zones of similar rock types

• Matching of rock zones containing the same fossil species

• The shapes of the coastlines of continents

• The evolution of fossils

Panthalassa was the ancient supercontinent.

• True

• False

The arrangement of the Earth’s continents has changed over time. What are the names of the two continents formed from the split of Pangaea?

• Gondwana

• Pangaea

• Laurasia

• Panthalassa

The arrangement of the Earth’s continents has changed over time. Identify the continent that Australia was a part of 140 million years ago.

• Gondwana

• Pangaea

• Laurasia

• Panthalassa

According to Wegener's theory of continental drift, upon which layer of the Earth are the continents floating?

• Crust

• Mantle

• Inner Core

• Outer Core

What is the definition for continental drift?

• Movement of the mantle within the Earth

• The formation of different continents across the Earth

• The process of maintaining the location of the Earth's continents

• Movement of the plates of the Earth's crust in relation to each other

The sea that formed as Pangaea began to split was the _______ sea.

Identify the thickness of the Earth's crust.

• 5 - 70 km

• 2900 km

• 2300 km

• 1200 km

Identify the thickness of the Earth's mantle.

• 5 - 70 km

• 2900 km

• 2300 km

• 1200 km