Ch. 1Ch. 1Sec. 3 Drifting Sec. 3 Drifting

ContinentsContinents

Alfred Wegener

• German scientist

• hypothesized that all continents were once joined together in single landmass

theory of continental drift theory of continental drift ----

• idea that the continents slowly moved over Earth’s surface

300

Pangaea

• supercontinent

• "all lands"

The continents fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

• Wegener’s hypothesis was that all the continents were once joined together in a single landmass.

Continental Drift

3 types of evidence

Wegener used to support continental

drift theory

1. land

features

2.fossils

3.climatechange

1. Evidence from landforms1. Evidence from landforms• mountain range in S. Africa lines up with

mountain range in Argentina, S. America

• European coal fields match with coal fields in N. America

South

America

Africa

2. Evidence from fossils2. Evidence from fossils

Glossopteris fossils

• fossil= any trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock

Fossil Evidence for Continental Drift

3. Evidence from climate3. Evidence from climate

Wegener’s Hypothesis RejectedWegener’s Hypothesis Rejected

• could not give a satisfactory explanation for force that pushes or pulls continents