How do locations

of volcanoes,
earthquake
epicenters and
mountain ranges
affect humans?
 Learning Targets
I Can…
• explain the concept of Pangaea
• relate the mechanisms of continental drift and seafloor
spreading to the movement of the continents and ocean
basins
• explain the evidences that supports plate movements
 Guide Questions
• What is the idea of
Continental Drift?
• How were the fossil symbols
and mountain belts helpful in
deciding where to move the
continents?
 Guide Questions
• Which fossil occurs on the
most landmasses? What does
this suggest about when these
continents broke up? (Refer to
the next picture)
 PLATE TECTONIC
THEORY

Continental Sea Floor

Drift Theory Spreading
 CONTINENTAL DRIFT
THEORY
 1912, Alfred Wegener
 "supercontinent" 
 Urkontinent”—ur meaning “first or original,”
and kontinent meaning “continent”
 Evidence that supported Wegener’s Theory
Change in Climate
 example: Glaciers in Africa
 Glacial striations, the parallel
"scrape" marks on rocks caused by
moving glaciers, have been found
on rocks in South America, Africa
and Australia and are of similar
orientation to striations found on
Antarctica
 Evidence that supported Wegener’s Theory

Puzzle-like Fit of the

Continents
 Example: Africa and South
America
 In several cases, modern
shorelines of continents look
as though they were once
joined
 Evidence that supported Wegener’s Theory
Landforms
 Example: Mountain chains
 Some mountain chains, have very similar rocks and
structures (i.e., folds and faults) to mountain belts found on
other continents
 Evidence that supported Wegener’s Theory

Fossil Evidence
Example: Mesosaurus
There are many examples
of fossils found on two
continents that are
currently separated by vast
oceans
 Continental Drift Rejection

Scientists at the time

rejected his theory
because he could not
produce an explanation
why the continents were
actually moving.
 Theory of Plate Tectonics
The lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) is
made of moving plates that float on the
asthenosphere.
Convection currents cause magma in the
asthenosphere to rise and sink. The plates are
slowly moving and bump into each other
 SEA FLOOR SPREADING
1960’s, Harry Hess, proposed that hot, less dense material
from the mantle rises to to the surface along mid-ocean
ridges.
 SEA FLOOR SPREADING
This material flows sideways pushing the seafloor
away from the ridge in both directions.
 SEA FLOOR SPREADING
As the seafloor spreads, more magma is force upward
which thickens the oceanic crust.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-_Z6p5cjKg&feature=youtu.be
 PROOF OF SEA FLOOR SPREADING
The oldest ocean floor rocks ever found are 180
million years old. Remember the Earth is 4.6 billion
years old. This proves that
ocean floor is being destroyed therefore all ocean floor
rocks are young compared to the age of Earth.
 PROOF OF SEA FLOOR SPREADING
The rocks closest to the ocean ridge were younger
than the rocks found further from the ridge. This
means that new rocks are formed at the ridges and
push the older rocks away from the ridge.