Download Alfred Wegener - Colts Neck Township Schools

ON A SHEET OF PAPER….

Answer the following about plate boundaries:

1. A boundary where two plates are moving apart is
called____________

2. A boundary where two plates are colliding is called
________________

3. A boundary where two plates are sliding past one
another is_____________.
DO NOW:

Using whiteboards answer the following
questions:

1. How is the water in a swimming pool similar
to the Earth’s interior?

2. How is it different?

3. How does a Lava Lamp work?
LAYERS OF THE EARTH
A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE
EARTH…

If you were able to
tunnel to the center of
the earth just like diving
into a pool you would
find changes in the
following:



Pressure
Temperature
Density
PRESSURE

Pressure: the amount of force acting on an
area.

The further down into the Earth you go, the
GREATER the pressure.

WHY?
 Because
of the weight of the rock above, pressure
increases.
TEMPERATURE

TEMPERATURE: The measurement of the
amount of kinetic energy a substance has.

As you first start tunneling down, rock is cool.
After about 20.0 meters (not even one mile),
temperature begins to increase rapidly.
DENSITY

DENSITY: the amount of matter in a specific
volume.

The further into earths interior you go, the
denser the earth becomes.

The lava lamp works due to DENSITY changes –
the warm wax rises to top, cools and sinks –
called CONVECTION CURRENTS.
ENCHANTED LEARNING WEBSITE
TYPES OF CRUST





Continental
Continents located on it
Less Dense
Very thick because of
mountain ranges
Lithosphere: The crust
and the top-most part of
the MANTLE. This is
SOLID!




Oceanic
Located at the bottom of
the oceans (sea floor)
More Dense
Thin
ALFRED WEGENER 1880-1930

In 1912 he came up
with the theory of
Continental Drift

Meteorologist
1. WEGENER’S EVIDENCE

Edges of the
continents fit like
puzzle pieces

Ex South America and
Africa
2. EVIDENCE
•Fossils
•Mesosaurus (a fresh
water/land animal) found
in both S. America and
Africa
3. WEGENER’S EVIDENCE
•Rock types line
up
–Mountain
ranges and
mineral belts.
–Similar rocks
found in New
Jersey and
Scottish
Highlands
4. EVIDENCE
•Paleoclimate
–Evidence of Ice Sheets were found covering parts of S.
America, Africa, India, and Australia
–Coral reefs found in Northern Canada
–Coal formation in North America
CONCLUSION
WEGENER’S EVIDENCE

Shape of the
continents



Ex South America and
Africa
Erosion may have
changed the shape of
the continents
Best fit occurs along
the continental slope




Rock types line up
Mountain ranges and
mineral belts
Fossils
Paleoclimate

Evidence of Glaciers
(striations)
Pangaea
pan = all
gaia = earth
classzone.com
PANGAEA
Continental Drift Theory
The continents were once connected as one large
land mass and they slowly drifted to their
current positions.

Earth’s lithosphere is divided into sections called
plates.

These plates move slowly over time.

This movement results in many of Earth’s physical
features and events.
PROBLEMS WITH WEGENER’S THEORY

Scientists did not accept his theory because he
was missing key evidence.

Such as: HOW DID THE CONTINENTS MOVE?
WHAT DRIVES PLATE MOVEMENT?

Convection currents in the mantle provide the
forces that drive plate’s motion
WHAT IS YOUR HEAT SOURCE?