Prehistoric Landmass Lab
Objective: In this lab we will explore the location of the continents in the past.
Please answer the following questions before you begin the lab.
Predict:
1. When you look at a map of the world, does it appear that possibly the continents could have at one
time been together?
2. What kind of evidence would you need to find to prove your idea? Come up with at least two.
Supplies:
You need to get a world map, blank sheet of white paper, tape, scissors, the following colors of colored pencil
green, orange, red, pink, blue, purple, brown
Directions:
Get out the worksheet called Prehistoric Landmasses with the continents on it. You will be putting the
evidence on your continents- please only use colored pencils.
Part 1
Fossil Evidence:
On your map you will find the locations of different types of fossils and put a color coded letter where they are
found (a general location) on the map.
Map Key Code and Color
Fossil Name
Fossil Description
Present-Day Locations
Green letter “G”
Glossopteris
A fern (green plant)
Orange letter “M”
Mesosaurus
A land reptile
Red letter “L”
Lystosaurus
A land reptile
Yellow letter “C”
Cynognathus
A freshwater reptile
Southern tip of India (below Madras)
Southern tip of Madagascar
Southeastern Australia (near Melbourne)
Enderby Land, Antarctica
Antarctica (near the Davis Sea)
Southeastern Africa (near Mozambique)
Bahia Blanca, Argentina
Cape Town, South Africa
Queen Maud Land, Antarctica
North of Antananarivo, Madagascar
In between Bangladore and Hyderabad, Central
India
Eastern Tanzania (near Dar es Salaam)
Eastern Brazil (near Salvador)
Camaroon, West/Central Africa
(use this to mark the map)
Part 2-Glacial Evidence
You need to color in the location of glaciers using light blue in the following areas—Southern Africa, Southern India,
Southeastern South America, all of Antarctica and Southern Australia. (Make these areas big)
Part 3 Rock Type Evidence
You need to color in the following areas using brown dots- Southern India, Southern Australia, Northern Antarctica,
Southern Africa, and a small portion of southeastern South America.
The next rock type will be represented using purple stripes-All of northern India, Northwestern Australia, and a section
of the middle of eastern (near where it juts out) Africa on the edge and the edge of southwestern Africa, southeastern
South America.
Putting it all together:
Next you need to cut out your continents. Cut around the dotted lines and it does not really matter whether you leave in
the shaded areas or not. Once they are all cut out you need to take your blank sheet of white paper and put the
continents in their present day locations- then move them so that all your pieces of evidences line, up do your best to
arrange them so they fit together like a puzzle. They may not all match perfectly but should be pretty close and you may
have to spin the continents sideways or upside down you should not have hardly any overlap. Once your arrangement
has been approved by teacher you can then tape or glue them down. You now have formed what scientists call
Gondwanaland. This is the southern supercontinent that came after Pangea started to break up.
Lastly you need to answer the analysis questions. Make sure to include the two from the front page.
3. Does all your evidence mostly fit together?
4. Is there enough evidence to support the idea that the continents were once together? Why or why not?
5. When we cut out the continents and try to put them together why do they not match perfectly? What might
have happened to the land through millions of years?
6. Looking at your fossil evidence alone what can we assume about locations of continents?
7. What would you have named this giant single landmass that you created if you were the scientist who
discovered it?
8. State a hypothesis of continental movement how would you say it?
9. What other type of evidence might be helpful to have to prove the idea that continents are moving, list one?
10. Based on this evidence alone would this be enough to convince you that the continents have moved? Why or
why not?