Download (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents

8.E.5A.5 Construct and analyze scientific
arguments to support claims that plate
tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of
fossils on different continents, (2) the
occurrence of earthquakes, and (3)
continental and ocean floor features
(including mountains, volcanoes, faults and
trenches).
There is a variety of evidence that supports the
claims that plate tectonics accounts for:
1. Distribution of fossils on different
continents
2. Occurrence of earthquakes
3. Continental and ocean floor features
(including mountains, volcanoes, faults and
trenches)
•The continents fit together almost like puzzle pieces
forming Pangaea (one super-continent).
•During the time of Pangaea most of the dry land on
Earth was joined into one huge landmass that
covered nearly a third of the planet's surface. The
giant ocean that surrounded the continent is
known as Panthalassa.
•Pangaea existed during the Permian and Triassic
geological time periods, which were times of great
change.
• Fossils on different continents are similar to fossils on
continents that were once connected. When the
continents split, different life forms developed.
• Most continental and oceanic floor features are the
result of geological activity and earthquakes along plate
boundaries. The exact patterns depend on whether:
• the plates are converging (being pushed together) to create
mountains or deep ocean trenches
• (diverging) being pulled apart to form new ocean floor at
mid-ocean ridges
• sliding past each other along surface faults
• Most distributions of rocks within Earth’s crust, including
minerals, fossil fuels, and energy resources, are a direct
result of the history of plate motions and collisions and
the corresponding changes in the configurations of the
continents and ocean basins.
• This history is still being written. Continents are
continually being shaped and reshaped by competing
constructive and destructive geological processes.
• Example: North America has gradually grown in size over the
past 4 billion years through a complex set of interactions
with other continents, including the addition of many new
crustal segments.