The Continent Puzzle Activity 40

Challenge: What can rearranging the continents tell you about earth’s history? Key Vocabulary: Pangea – supercontinent that existed ~230 million years ago. Read the Introduction on page D-23. After Reading, imagine that Hawaii is a cold snowy place millions of years into the future. What would the discovery of fossilized palm trees tell people about the past climate of the area?

Continents of the Earth: In which part of the world (or which country) do we live? Which continent is our country in?

Part A: The World Puzzle Follow the Procedure for Part A on page D-24 Make sure that you record the 7 continents into your notebook as it says in step #2! Make sure to use the Key to Symbols provided. When you are finished, raise your hand and I will provide you SS40.1 “Earth’s Surface Through Geological Time” to glue into your notebook for Part B.

Part B: The History of Earth’s Surface Follow steps 10-12 on page D-25 When you have completed these steps, work on Analysis Questions #1-4.

Analysis Describe what has happened to land on the surface of the earth over the past 425 million years. Answer: Land masses on the earth's surface have moved and changed shape over time. About 425 mya, some of the precursors to today’s continents were joined in a large land mass known as Gondwanaland. Between 425-230 mya, all of the land joined together to form Pangea. Since then, Pangea has broken apart to form the land masses we see today.

There are seven continents and there were seven puzzle pieces There are seven continents and there were seven puzzle pieces. But not every puzzle piece represented a continent. Why do you think this is? HINT: Think about how you used the pieces to model changes on the earth’s surface. Answer: The continents of Europe and Asia are and have been part of a single land mass over the past 230 million years, so they could be represented by a single piece. The continent Asia however, was formed from two land masses: a part that was connected to the European continent and a part that today forms the country of India. Since the Indian land mass broke off from Pangea separately and later connected to Asia, it is represented by its own piece.

What types of evidence did the puzzle provide about change on the earth’s surface? Answer: Types of evidence provided included: Fossil distribution Mountain ranges with similar rock layers Shape and position of the continents

a. Glossopteris grew during the Mesozoic as well as the end of the Paleozoic. Mesosaurus lived during the Paleozoic. Cynognathys lived during the early Mesozoic. Lystrosaurus existed during the Mesozoic as well as the end of the Paleozoic. The break up of Pangea began during the Mesozoic All of the extinct organisms listed in Table 1 lived on Pangea before it broke apart.