BROKEN

ROCK
MOUNTAINS
GLACIERS
FOSSILS
CONTINENTS
1. What are your observations about the picture?
2. Is it possible that the Earth creations started with a
very large landmass? Cite some other proofs if
possible.
 
Continental Drift
 Continental Drift Theory
• Proposed by Alfred Wegener in
1912
• 250 million years ago, all of the
continents were combined into one
super-continent called “Pangaea”
• The continents gradually drifted
apart to where they are today
Continental Drift
Theory
 Continental Drift
• Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis
- The hypothesis that Pangaea
broke apart into continents.
FLASH ANIMATION
Evidence to
Support the
Theory
•Continents look
like they could be
part of a giant
jigsaw puzzle
 Distribution of Fossils
• Plant and animal fossils found on the
coastlines of different continents
• Mesosaurus (reptile that lives on
land and fresh water) found in South
America and Africa
• Glossopteris (plant) found on Africa,
Australia, Asia, South America and
Antarctica
 Glaciers and Rocks
• Traces of glaciers found in
many tropical regions of Earth
• When continents drifted apart,
glaciers melted away
• Glaciers leave tracks, scouring
and polishing rock surfaces
 Rocks
Similar rock structure found on
different continents:
- Rocks found in Appalachian
Mountains similar to rocks in
Greenland and western Europe
- Rock structures from eastern
South America similar to western
Africa
 Climates
• Fossils of warm-weather
plants found on Spitsbergen
(an island in the Arctic Ocean)
• Spitsbergen Island might have
drifted to the Arctic from a
tropical region of Earth
Problems With The Theory
• Theory was not accepted by scientists
because there was not enough evidence
(NO PROOF!)
• Wegener could not explain what caused the
continents to break apart and drift away
• He hypothesized that continents plow
through the ocean floor or that the spinning
of Earth on its axis was the cause
•SUMMARIZE
I. Objectives
a. Define continental drift theory
b. Cut the world map and connect
each continent to each other.
c. Find out how the life on earth
started.
d. Give the importance of
continental drift theory.
II. Materials
World Map Picture
III. Procedure
Cut out the picture of the
world map.
Connect each part of the
continent/countries together
by pasting it at the back of the
activity sheet
 Guide Questions
1. What are your observations after
cutting out out the picture of the
world map and connect each part
of the continent/countries
together?
2. Is it possible that the Earth
creations started with a very large
landmass? Cite some other proofs
if possible.
 3. Based on your
observations define what is
continental drift theory?
4. What are the significance
of understanding the concept
of continental drift theory?  
V. Conclusion/s