ACTIVITIES: PLATE TECTONIC THEORY

Here are the answers to your questions: ACTIVITIES: PLATE TECTONIC THEORY 3.1 Refer to FIGURE 3.1 on 'Continental Drift' 3.1.1 The "father" of the continental drift theory is Alfred Wegener. 3.1.2 The large water mass that existed 250 million years ago was Panthalassa. 3.1.3 The large landmass that existed 250 million years ago was Pangea. 3.1.4 The two landmasses found in the north and south respectively when this large landmass split were Laurasia (north) and Gondwanaland (south). 3.1.5 Two present-day continents that used to be part of Gondwanaland are South America and Africa. (Other valid answers include Antarctica, Australia, India). 3.1.6 The present-day country that broke away from the southern continents to join the northern continents of today is India. 3.2 Refer to the diagram below showing world plate boundaries 3.2.1 Alfred Wegener gave the name Pangea to the one large supercontinent that existed before the continents broke up. 3.2.2 A tectonic plate is a large, rigid slab of solid rock that makes up the Earth's outermost layer, the lithosphere. It consists of both continental and oceanic crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. 3.2.3 The plates found on either side of the plate boundary on the west coast of South America are the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. 3.2.4 This type of plate boundary is a convergent plate boundary. 3.2.5 Continents move due to convection currents in the Earth's mantle. Heat from the Earth's core causes molten rock (magma) to rise, spread laterally beneath the lithosphere, cool, and then sink. This slow, continuous movement of magma drags the overlying tectonic plates, and thus the continents, along with it. 3.2.6 Scientists use several lines of evidence to prove that Africa, Antarctica, and South America were once joined as part of Gondwanaland. Firstly, the jigsaw puzzle fit of the continental coastlines, particularly between South America and Africa, suggests they were once connected. Secondly, fossil evidence shows identical plant and animal fossils (e.g., Mesosaurus, Lystrosaurus, Glossopteris) found across these now-separate continents, indicating they lived in a continuous landmass. Thirdly, rock formations and mountain ranges of similar age and structure are found on these continents, suggesting they formed as part of a single geological unit. Lastly, paleoclimate evidence, such as glacial deposits (tillites) and striations, found in tropical regions of these continents, indicates they were once located near the South Pole and experienced a shared ice age. Send me the next one 📸