Download Continental Drift

Jigsaw Puzzle Fit
It is likely that the first clue that
the continents were once joined
together came from the close fit
between the west coast of Africa
and the east coast of South
America.
Studies have shown that the fit
between the continents is actually
in the range of 95% along the
continental shelves.
Continental Drift
Continental Drift theory says
that 300 million years ago all of
the continents came together
and formed a super-continent
called Pangea (all land).
This was followed by the break
up of Pangea about 200 million
years ago, and the drifting of the
various continents to the
positions that we see today.
Here is what we may see in the
future.
Fossil Correlation
Wegener found evidence of
many fossils that were
identical but scattered over
different continents.
He believed that it was
impossible for all of those
lifeforms to have evolved
identically on all these
continents.
Instead, he saw this as proof
that the continents were once
all joined together.
The Appalachian Mountains
in North America and the
Caledonian Mountains in
Scotland are of the same age,
made of the same rock type,
and have the same
appearance.
Wegener took this to mean
they were in fact the same
mountain range, but that they
had become separated by the
Atlantic Ocean in the last 200
million years.
Paleo-Glaciation
Wegener interpreted the
glacial deposits and
markings that can be
found in tropical areas
(including South America,
Africa, India, and
Australia) to mean that all
of these regions had, at one
time, been very close to the
south pole and so had
much colder climates.
200 million yrs B.P.
Present
#2c) Wegener was not able to convince most scientists
of his day to accept continental drift because he
could not explain how a continent could move through
the hard rock of the earth’s crust.
THE MOVEMENT OF
TECTONICS PLATES HAS
PROVIDED CANADIANS WITH
MANY ECONOMIC AND
LEISURE OPPORTUNITIES;
CANADA’S MOUNTAIN
RANGES ARE THE RESULT
COLLISIONS BETWEEN
PLATES. THESE MOUNTAINS
ARE SITES OF MUCH
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
INCLUDING TOURISM (SKIING
& SNOWBOARDING) , MINING,
AND FORESTRY.
CANADA’S HUGE OIL, GAS,
AND COAL DEPOSITS WERE
FORMED WHEN CANADA
WAS LOCATED MUCH
CLOSER TO THE EQUATOR (IN
THE TROPICS), BEFORE
DRIFTING TO ITS CURRENT
POSITION IN THE NORTHERN
HEMISPHERE.
OUR POSITION IN THE
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
ALSO GIVES US A CLIMATE
WHICH IS IDEAL FOR THE
AGRICULTURE AND FOREST
REGIONS THAT WE POSSESS.
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