About Wegener
Who was Alfred Wegener?
A scientist who studied continents. of continental drift in 1912
What was Wegener's theory called?
Continental Drift.
What did the shapes of continents look like they could do?
Fit together like puzzle pieces.
What was Pangaea?
A giant supercontinent.
What theory explains how Earth's plates move?
Plate tectonics.
What country was Wegener from?
Germany
What did Wegener believe continents could do?
Move slowly over time.
What evidence did Wegener find on different continents?
Matching fossils.
About how many years ago did Pangaea begin breaking apart?
About 200 million years ago.
What are Earth's large moving pieces called?
Tectonic plates.
What did Wegener study besides geology?
Weather and climate
What did Wegener think the continents were once part of?
One giant landmass.
What land feature matched across different continents?
Mountain ranges
What happened to Pangaea?
It slowly broke into smaller continents.
What layer do tectonic plates move on?
The mantle.
What year did Wegener first share his continental drift idea?
1912
What was the name of the giant landmass?
Pangaea.
What type of evidence showed places now cold were once warm?
Climate evidence.
What two continents fit together especially well?
South America and Africa.
What can happen when tectonic plates move?
Earthquakes and volcanoes.
What was Wegener's job when he studied the Earth?
Scientist and meteorologist.
Why did many scientists not believe his theory at first?
He could not explain exactly how the continents moved.
What fossil was found in both South America and Africa?
Mesosaurus.
What does the name Pangaea mean?
“All Earth.”
How did plate tectonics help prove Wegener was mostly right?
It explained how continents move.