1. What are the clues that serve as evidence for continental drift?
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What are the clues that serve as evidence for continental drift?

2. Module F: Chapter 4
Plate
Tectonics

3. Don’t copy the words typed in this color

4. Module F: 4.1 Continental Drift
Objectives:
Describe the hypothesis of continental drift.
Identify evidence supporting the theory of continental drift.

5. Evidence for Continental Drift
1. Pangaea
____________________
2. Fossil Clues
3. Climate Clues
4. Rock Clues

7. 1. Pangaea
- ______________ thought that all the __________ were joined together at some time in the past : Wegener proposed the hypothesis of _______________
Alfred Wegener
continents
continental drift

9. continental drift horizontally Wegener continents Pangaea 200 million
- The theory of ________________ states that continents moved ___________ to current locations
- ________ believed all __________ were once connected as one large landmass (________) that broke apart about ___________ years ago
continental drift
horizontally
Wegener
continents
Pangaea
200 million

10. 2. Fossil Clues Mesosaurus Glossopteris
__________ - reptile found in South America and Africa
____________ – fern found in Africa, Australia, India, South America and Antarctica
Glossopteris
THINK!!! What is significant about where the fossils are found? Are the continents, they are found on, near one another at all?

11. Mesosaurus Findings!!!

12. Mesosaurus

14. MESOSAURUS
Mesosaurus ("middle lizard") was an odd, fresh-water dwelling reptile (not a dinosaur) that lived from the late Carboniferous. It was a lightly-built, four-legged animal with an elongated head and snout with nostrils near its eyes. It had a flattened tail that was probably used for swimming. It was about 1.5 feet long. This carnivore probably ate fish and shrimp, catching them with its mouth. It was a primitive reptile that returned to the water about 300 million years ago after having adapted to the land; one of the first aquatic reptiles.

15. Glossopteris

16. Glossopteris Findings!!!

17. 3. Climate Clues fossils Arctic Ocean South Australia South
- _______ of warm-weathered plants were found on the island of Spitzbergen in the _______________
- glacial deposits and grooves found in _______ America, Africa, India, and ___________
Arctic Ocean
South
Australia
How could you explain why glacial deposits are found in areas where no glaciers exist today?
- Wegener believed that South America, Africa, India and Australia were near the _______ Pole at one time; the theory of ___________________ split them up
South
continental drift

18. Glacial Findings!!!

20. 4. Rock Clues Appalachian Europe
similar rock structures found on different continents (example: parts of the ____________ Mountains of the eastern United States are similar to those found in Greenland and western _________)
Appalachian
Europe

21. Appalachian Mountains

22. Similar Rock Findings!!!

23. How could continents drift?
- Wegener died before he could provide evidence
- Rock, fossil, climate and new clues such as _________________ (learned about in 4.2) help provide a more precise explanation
seafloor spreading

26. Let's Review!!!
State one reason why Wegener’s ideas about continental drift were not accepted.
2. How did Wegener use climate clues to support his hypothesis about continental drift?