Name __________________________________________________ Period _____ Date___________________________
Continental Drift Lab
Procedure:
1. Arrange the continents by where they are today.
2. Use the clues on the puzzle pieces to slide them backwards in time to match them up and replicate the
supercontinent of Pangaea.
3. Check your placement of the continents with your teacher.
4. Glue Pangaea into your Journal according to how they match up. Be sure to glue in the legend as well.
5. Draw in the evidence of glacial scratches, evidence of ancient mountain chains, and rock of the same age using
the class set.
Landmasses
Class Set
Use this to draw in the extra information about the evidence of glacial scratches, evidence of ancient
mountain chains, and rock of the same age.
Name __________________________________________________ Period _____ Date___________________________
Continental Drift Lab
Questions:
1. What five kinds of evidence from this lab, support Wegner’s theory that the continents were once
joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea? Be specific!
a. ____________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________
c.
____________________________________________________
d. ____________________________________________________
e. ____________________________________________________
2. Where does Greenland join Pangaea? What evidence (geologic features) supports your claim?
3. Since a dinosaur cannot swim, how can dinosaur fossils be found on all continents?
4. It is generally considered that dinosaurs live in warm climates, yet fossil remains are found in
Antarctica. How can this be explained?
5. Where does Africa join Europe? What is the evidence?
6. Stegosaurus fossils have not been found on some continents. Explain why this is probably so (and it is
not because no one has found any yet!).
7. Similar glacial deposits were found on most continents. What does this probably indicate about the
overall climate of Pangea at the time?
8.
Do you think the
following mountain
ranges are older or
younger than
Pangea?
What is your
evidence for each?
a. The Appalachians? (located in the Eastern US/North American Plate)
b. The Andes? (located on the Eastern border of South America)
c. The Himalayas? (located in between India and Europe/Asia)
d. The Rockies? (located in the Western US/North American Plate)
e. The Alps? (located in the middle of Europe)
9.
Add Glacial Scratches, Ancient Mountain Ranges, and Rocks of the same age to your picture of
Pangaea that you glue into your Student Notebook (SN).