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How well do the continents fit together?

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How well do the continents fit together?

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Pick either of these choices to obtain background information then cut out your continents and glue them onto a piece of colored paper.

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WHAT IF WE STILL LIVED ON SINGLE SUPERCONTINENT?

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What evidence can we locate on the continents to connect areas that are presently far apart?

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What evidence can we locate on the continents to connect areas that are presently far apart?

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Pick a color for each piece of fossil evidence and color them after you have completed #1. Look at the diagram for reference.

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The blue piece of evidence is the Mesosaurus. 

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The blue piece of evidence is the Mesosaurus. 

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On your continent sheet, complete the following three question stems. Use the following resources to help you find the answers.

1. The mesosaurus lived in...

2. Mesosaurus fossils prove that...

3. Other evidence that connects the continents includes...

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Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, including geological "fit" and fossil evidence. It is important to know that the following specific fossil evidence was not brought up by Wegener to support his theory. Wegener himself did not collect the fossils but he called attention to the idea of using these scientific doc uments stating there were fossils of species present in separate continents in order to support his claim.

Geological "fit" evidence is the matching of large-scale geological features on different continents. It has been noted that the coastlines of South America and West Africa seem to match up, however more particularly the terrains of separate continents conform as well. Examples include: the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America linked with the Scottish Highlands, the familiar rock strata of the Karroo system of South Africa matched correctly with the Santa Catarina system in Brazil, and the Brazil and Ghana mountain ranges agreeing over the Atlantic Ocean.

Another important piece of evidence in the Continental Drift theory is the fossil relevance. There are various examples of fossils found on separate continents and in no other regions. This indicates that these continents had to be once joined together because the extensive oceans between these land masses act as a type of barrier for fossil transfer. Four fossil examples include: the Mesosaurus, Cynognathus, Lystrosaurus, and Glossopteris.

The Mesosaurus is known to have been a type of reptile, similar to the modern crocodile, which propelled itself through water with its long hind legs and limber tail. It lived during the early Permian period (286 to 258 million years ago) and its remains are found solely in South Africa and Eastern South America. Now if the continents were in still their present positions, there is no possibility that the Mesosaurus would have the capability to swim across such a large body of ocean as the Atlantic because it was a coastal animal.

The now extinct Cynognathus, which translates to "dog jaw", was a mammal- like reptile. Roaming the terrains during the Triassic period (250 to 240 million years ago), the Cynognathus was as large as a modern wolf. Its fossils are found only in South Africa and South America. As a land dominant species, the Cynognathus would not have been capable of migrating across the Atlantic.

The Lystrosaurus, which translates to "shovel reptile," is thought to have been an herbivore with a stout build like a pig. It is approximated that it grew up to one meter in length and was relatively dominant on land during the early Triassic period (250 million years ago). Lystrosaurus fossils are only found in Antarctica, India, and South Africa. Similar to the land dwelling Cynognathus, the Lystrosaurus would have not had the swimming capability to traverse any ocean.

Possibly the most important fossil evidence found is the plant, Glossopteris. Known as a woody, seed bearing tree, the Glossopteris is named after the Greek description for tongue due to its tongue shaped leaves and is the largest genus of the extinct descendant of seed ferns. Reaching as tall as 30 meters, the Glossopteris emerged during the early Permian period (299 million years ago) and became the dominant land plant species until the end of the Permian. The Glossopteris fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America-all the southern continents. Now, the Glossopteris seed is known to be large and bulky and therefore could not have drifted or flown across the oceans to a separate continent. Therefore, the continents must have been joined at least one point in time in order to maintain the Glossopteris' wide range across the southern continents.

If the continents of the Southern Hemisphere are put together, the distribution of these four fossil types form continuous patterns across continental boundaries. Of course, possible explanations are brought to attention. One explanation is the species could have migrated via a land bridge or swam to the other continents. However, a land bridge is not applicable due to the differences in densities between the continents and oceans floor and violation of the isostasy concept. Moreover, swimming as a possibility is foolish due to the lack of formidable swimming capabilities to travel across such an extensive body of water like the Atlantic. An additional resolution is that the species could have merely evolved separately on the other continents. Undoubtedly, this interpretation is in complete disagreement with Darwin's evolution theory.

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Alfred Wegener: Building a Case for Continental Drift

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Alfred Wegener collected diverse pieces of evidence to support his theory, including geological "fit" and fossil evidence. It is important to know that the following specific fossil evidence was not brought up by Wegener to support his theory.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

Mesosaurus, (genus Mesosaurus), early aquatic relative of reptiles, found as fossils from the Early Permian Period (299 million to 271 million years ago) in South Africa and South America.

Courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History, New York

Mesosaurus lived in freshwater lakes and ponds. Elongated and slim, it measured about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long. The skull and tail were both long and narrow, and the animal probably undulated through the water as it fed on small crustaceans and other prey with its jaws, which were full of long, thin, pointed teeth. The ribs were large and banana-shaped, possibly reinforcing the ribcage for diving. Mesosaurs may have seldom, if ever, ventured onto land. Because it is unlikely that the mesosaurs could have traversed broad stretches of saline open ocean, their geographic distribution provided paleontological evidence corroborating the hypothesis that the continents of the Southern Hemisphere were once joined. The distribution of mesosaurs was thus some of the earliest proof of continental drift.

Richard Pallardy, Research Editor.

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

Reptile, any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major groups of living reptiles-the turtles (order Testudines), tuatara (order Rhynchocephalia [Sphenodontida]), lizards and snakes (order Squamata), and crocodiles (order Crocodylia,...

Permian Period, in geologic time, the last period of the Paleozoic Era. The Permian Period began 298.9 million years ago and ended 252.2 million years ago, extending from the close of the Carboniferous Period to the outset of the Triassic Period....

Crustacean, any member of the subphylum Crustacea (phylum Arthropoda), a group of invertebrate animals consisting of some 45,000 species distributed worldwide. Crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and wood lice are among the best-known crustaceans, but the group also includes an enormous variety of other forms without popular names. Crustaceans are generally aquatic...

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Mesosaurus, (genus Mesosaurus), early aquatic relative of reptiles, found as fossils from the Early Permian Period (299 million to 271 million years ago) in South Africa and South America. Mesosaurus lived in freshwater lakes and ponds. Elongated and slim, it measured about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long.

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Lystrosaurus is a Triassic land reptile Its fossil remains have been found in India, Africa, and Antarctica Despite it being a cold-blooded land animal, fossils were found in Antarctica, where it couldn't have survived Brachiosaurus Lystrosaurus Cynognathus Alfred Wegener

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Sea floor spreading is a theory that explains how continents are split apart and oceans are formed.

After researching about sea floor spreading, place a post it note on page 28 of your note packet.

On the post it, compose a tweet explaining how the movement in sea floor spreading is similar to a conveyor belt.

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Sea Floor Spreading | 100 Greatest Discoveries

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Do heat flow measurements support sea floor spreading?

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Do heat flow measurements support sea floor spreading?

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Original By Sara Isabella Tato and Hermes

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The sea floor spreads because magma is pushing upward forming new crust. Complete heat flow map on a part of the ocean that is splitting - the East Pacific Rise.

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1. Write in the coordinate heat flow numbers.

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Color in the correct value color based on the heat flow number.

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Write a question using heat flow in divergent areas as the answer. Write this question under your heat flow map

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Volcanoes are not all the same in type and intensity.

After researching, on page 22-23 of your NOTE packet draw a t chart or Venn Diagram contrasting Hawaiian volcanoes to those from convergence zones (Pompeii etc.)

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Volcanoes reveal the powerful forces that are continually reshaping the Earth's surface. But new ones aren't commonly found. Now, however, scientist h

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How do we measure the intensity of earthquakes?

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How do we measure the intensity of earthquakes?

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All earthquakes are not the same.  Earthquakes are different depending on where they originated from.

After researching, use the Myth Bustin' strategy to determine whether the following statements are true or false.

Write your answer on page 18-19 in your NOTE packet.

1. The Richter Scale is based on the magnitude of the energy released  during an earthquake.

2. The Richter Scale is based on key indicators felt by people.

3. The most powerful earthquake happened in Alaska.

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Whenever a major earthquake is in the news, you'll probably hear about its Richter scale rating. You might also hear about its Mercalli Scale rating, though this isn't discussed as often. These two ratings describe the power of the earthquake from two different perspectives.

The most common standard of measurement for an earthquake is the Richter scale, developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology. The Richter scale is used to rate the magnitude of an earthquake -- the amount of energy it released. This is calculated using information gathered by a seismograph.

The Richter scale is logarithmic, meaning that whole-number jumps indicate a tenfold increase. In this case, the increase is in wave amplitude. That is, the wave amplitude in a level 6 earthquake is 10 times greater than in a level 5 earthquake, and the amplitude increases 100 times between a level 7 earthquake and a level 9 earthquake. The amount of energy released increases 31.7 times between whole number values.

As we previously noted, most earthquakes are extremely small. A majority of quakes register less than 3 on the Richter scale; these tremors, called microquakes, aren't even felt by humans. Only a tiny portion -- 15 or so of the 1.4 million quakes that register above 2.0 -- register at 7 or above, which the threshold for a quake being considered major [source: USGS]. The biggest quake in recorded history was the 9.5 quake that struck Chile in 1960. It killed nearly 1,900 people and caused about $4 billion in damage in 2010 dollars [source: USGS]. Generally, you won't see much damage from earthquakes that register below 4 on the Richter scale.

Richter ratings only give you a rough idea of the actual impact of an earthquake, though. As we've seen, an earthquake's destructive power varies depending on the composition of the ground in an area and the design and placement of man-made structures. The extent of damage is rated on the Mercalli scale. Mercalli ratings, which are given as Roman numerals, are based on largely subjective interpretations. A low intensity earthquake, one in which only some people feel the vibration and there is no significant property damage, is rated as a II. The highest rating, a XII, is applied to earthquakes in which structures are destroyed, the ground is cracked and other natural disasters, such as landslides or tsunamis, are initiated.

Richter scale ratings are determined soon after an earthquake, once scientists can compare the data from different seismograph stations. Mercalli ratings, on the other hand, can't be determined until investigators have had time to talk to many eyewitnesses to find out what occurred during the earthquake. Once they have a good idea of the range of damage, they use the Mercalli criteria to decide on an appropriate rating.

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Whenever a major earthquake is in the news, you'll probably hear about its Richter scale rating. You might also hear about its Mercalli Scale rating, though this isn't discussed as often. These two ratings describe the power of the earthquake from two different perspectives.