Name
Date
Picturing Pangaea
Scientiststhinkthatabout250millionyearsago,allthecontinentswerejoinedintoonesingle
landmasscalledPangaea.Whathappenedtothissupercontinent?
Studyeachpicturebelow.Thenreadthefactsaboutthecontinents’movements.Colorthecircle
withthenumberofthepicturethatmatcheseachfact.
Laurasia
Panthalassa
Ocean
Pan
Tethys
Sea
equator
Go
ga
dw
an
n
ea
Panthalassa
Ocean
1—about 250 million years ago
rth
No erica
Am
equator
South
America
Tethys
Sea
equator
nd
2—about 120 million years ago
Eurasia
North
America
equator
Africa
India
Pacific
Ocean
Europe
Atlantic
Ocean
Asia
Pacific
Ocean
Africa
South
America
Indian Australia
Ocean
a
ali
str
Au
al a
Antarctica
Antarctica
3—about 65 million years ago
4—today
1. PangaeasitsaloneinahugeoceanofwatercalledPanthalassa.
1
2
3
4
2. ThetwocontinentsarenamedGondwanalandandLaurasia.
1
2
3
4
3. IndiaisconnectedtoAsia.
1
2
3
4
4. ThisisthefirsttimeperiodinwhichAustraliaandAntarcticahavedriftedapart.
1
2
3
4
5. ThecontinentsbeginasonesupercontinentcalledPangaea.
1
2
3
4
6. Thecontinentsexistasweknowthemtoday.
1
2
3
4
7.
8.
Gondwanalandhassplit,andAfricaandSouthAmericahaveappeared.
IndiahasbrokenawayfromAfricabutisnotconnectedtoAsia.
1
2
3
4
ThisisthelasttimeperiodduringwhichEurasiaandNorthAmericaremain
joined.
1
2
3
4
9. TheTethysSeahassplitPangaeaintotwocontinents.
1
2
3
4
10. TheNorthAtlanticOceanhassplitEurasiaandNorthAmerica.
1
2
3
4
Bonus Box: Thetheoryofhowtheearth’scontinentsmoveoveritssurfaceiscontinental drift.In
yourownwords,describethecontinentaldrifttheoryusingtheillustrationsandideasfromabove.
©The Education Center, Inc. • Teacher’s Helper ® • TEC48009 • Oct/Nov 2003
The Changing Earth: continental drift theory
45