1. 8.E.5A.5 Construct and analyze scientific arguments to support claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents, (2) the occurrence of earthquakes, and (3) continental and ocean floor features (including mountains, volcanoes, faults and trenches).

2. There is a variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for: 1. Distribution of fossils on different continents 2. Occurrence of earthquakes 3. Continental and ocean floor features (including mountains, volcanoes, faults and trenches)

3. The continents fit together almost like puzzle pieces forming Pangaea (one super-continent).
During the time of Pangaea most of the dry land on Earth was joined into one huge landmass that covered nearly a third of the planet's surface. The giant ocean that surrounded the continent is known as Panthalassa.
Pangaea existed during the Permian and Triassic geological time periods, which were times of great change.

5. Fossils on different continents are similar to fossils on continents that were once connected. When the continents split, different life forms developed.
Most continental and oceanic floor features are the result of geological activity and earthquakes along plate boundaries. The exact patterns depend on whether:
the plates are converging (being pushed together) to create mountains or deep ocean trenches
(diverging) being pulled apart to form new ocean floor at mid-ocean ridges
sliding past each other along surface faults

6. Most distributions of rocks within Earth’s crust, including minerals, fossil fuels, and energy resources, are a direct result of the history of plate motions and collisions and the corresponding changes in the configurations of the continents and ocean basins.
This history is still being written. Continents are continually being shaped and reshaped by competing constructive and destructive geological processes.
Example: North America has gradually grown in size over the past 4 billion years through a complex set of interactions with other continents, including the addition of many new crustal segments.