A
What was Pangea described as? A _________ continent
super
What are striations evidence of?
Glaciers located on those rocks in the past
In what timeframe do continents move 2 inches?
A year
Describe the motion of tectonic plates when they are diverging?
Separating
What was one piece of evidence of Alfred's evidence?
The continents looked like puzzle pieces.
Or
Fossils match in separated land masses
Or
Landforms match on different continents
How does the existence of Mesosaurus on South America and Africa support the idea that the two land masses were once joined?
It is a fresh water organism and couldnt swim the ocean
What kind of evidence is Glossopteris? Be specific
What evidence are "Caledonian" and "Appalacian"?
Mountains, Landforms
What are striations?
Scratches in rocks
Why role do convection currents play in the continental drift theory?
They move tectonic plates apart
Give an example of geological evidence?
Coal beds, folded mountains
Why doesn't the landmass of each continent fit perfectly with each other? They are very similar, but there are some bits that dont match
New land has formed since Pangea split. Some land has been eroded
What proved Alfred Wegener’s theory 30 years after he died?
Plate tectonics changed the way geologists thought. Harry Hess observed sea floor spreading
How is the ocean floor renewed?
Because of sea floor spreading
When did Pangea start to break apart?
In the Mesozoic era, about 200 million years ago.
What kind of land features can be caused when tectonic plates converge?
Folded mountains
Why did no one believe Alfred Wegener?
He couldnt explain how the continents moved
300 million years ago, what fossil did every continent have in common?
Early Glossopteris Flora
What is subduction?
The process of continental plates going under a less dense plate
What did Pangea break into?
Laurasia and Gondwanaland.