Dynamic Earth: Continental Drift

When were Earth's landmasses first recognizable as the continents we know today? 10 million years ago 135 million years ago 180 million years ago 300 million years ago

135 million years ago

A plate moves 200 m in 10,000 years. What is its rate in cm/year? 0.02 cm/year 2 cm/year 10 cm/year 100 cm/year

2 cm/year

The Amur plate, a small plate, has moved away from the Eurasian plate. It has move 125,000 meters in 25 million years. It is moving eastward. What is the rate of motion of the Amur plate? Express your answer in mm/year. 0.005 mm/year 0.05 mm/year 5 mm/year 50 mm/year

5 mm/year

The Amur plate, a small plate, has moved away from the Eurasian plate. It has move 125,000 meters in 25 million years. It is moving eastward. Where would the plate be after 1 million years? Express your answer in m. 500,000 meters east 50,000 meters west 5,000 meters east 500 meters west

5,000 meters east

A plate moving at a rate of 3 cm/year is moving toward a plate that is 1,500 km away. In how many years will the plates collide? 50,000,000 years 50,000 years 5,000 years 500 years

50,000,000 years

A plate moves south at a rate of 2 cm/year. How many meters south from its original location will the plate be in 4,000 years? 8,000 meters south 4,000 meters south 200 meters south 80 meters south

80 meters south

Which coastlines most closely match each other and are, therefore, used as evidence to support Wegener's theory? India and Eurasia Australia and Africa Africa and South America Australia and North America

Africa and South America

Which two continents contain fossils of Mesosaurus, an extinct reptile, in similar regions of Pangaea? Africa and South America Eurasia and Africa Australia and Eurasia North America and Australia

Africa and South America

What scientist first proposed the Continental drift?

Alfred Wegener

On which continent were fossils of both Glossopteris and Lystrosaurus discovered? Australia South America Antarctica North America

Antarctica

Tropical plant fossils have been found in cold Arctic islands where they cannot survive in the present-day climate of this area. According to Wegener's theory, how were these ancient tropical plants able to survive in Arctic islands? - Plants were more adaptable in the past. - The poles of Earth were warmer in the past. - Arctic islands were closer to the equator in the past. - Land movements warmed the landmasses in the past.

Arctic islands were closer to the equator in the past.

Which explanation provides support for continental drift theory? - Dinosaurs lived on many continents. - Coalfields match up across continents. - Tropical plant fossils were found in warm areas. - Similar rock types are found across continents.

Coal fields match up across continents.

How did Wegener explain why fossils of land animals were found on continents that are across oceans from one another? - Animals evolved separately on each continent. - Land bridges existed between the continents. - Animals swam across the ocean to new continents. - Continents were once one landmass and have drifted apart.

Continents were once one landmass and have drifted apart.

Coal fields in __ match those found in North America, supporting the theory of continental drift. Europe Africa South America

Europe

Which coal field location is related to coal fields in the United States and supports the theory of continental drift? India Africa Australia Europe

Europe

The hydrosphere refers to the total amount of water on Earth, including liquid, gas, and solid forms. Which is one way the hydrosphere has been impacted by the movement of the continents over time? - Glaciers that once covered South Africa have melted and can no longer form. - All of the continents have fewer coastal areas than they did millions of years ago. - Land masses near the equator have more glaciers now than they did millions of years ago. - The poles that were once covered by glaciers are now surrounded by warm, tropical waters.

Glaciers that once covered South Africa have melted and can no longer form.

Which two large landmasses formed when Pangaea first started to separate? Africa and Europe Europe and Laurasia Gondwanaland and North America Laurasia and Gondwanaland

Laurasia and Gondwanaland

Which two pieces of fossil evidence support the idea of continental drift? bacteria and petrified wood Glossopteris and bacteria Lystrosaurus and Glossopteris petrified wood and Tyrannosaurus

Lystrosaurus and Glossopteris

Which statements describe evidence of continental drift? - Deserts line up when continents are pushed together. - Mountain ranges often appear on the edges of continents. - Fossils of the same animals appear on different continents. - Tropical plants currently appear in both Antarctica and South America. - Wegener's theories were accepted by most geologists in the 1960s. - Explorers discovered the edges of continents they did not know about.

Mountain ranges often appear on the edges of continents. Fossils of the same animals appear on different continents.

Mountain ranges often appear on the edges of continents. What theory does this support? - Mountains were formed when Earth's crust cooled and Earth shrank. - Mountain ranges were formed when continents collided. - Mountain ranges did not exist millions of years ago. - Mountain ranges were formed only by glaciers.

Mountain ranges were formed when continents collided.

What name did Wegener give to the single large landmass composed of all continents? Eurasia Gondwanaland Laurasia Pangaea

Pangaea

South Africa's current climate is too warm for glaciers. According to the theory of continental drift, which statement best explains why evidence of glaciers appeared in South Africa millions of years ago? - Earth was covered in glaciers millions of years ago. - South Africa contained similar land features to Antarctica. - South Africa was closer to the poles and has drifted to its current location. - Glaciers moved southward over millions of years until they reached Antarctica.

South Africa was closer to the poles and has drifted to its current location.

Which continents contain folded mountains that match up to form one continuous mountain chain, serving as evidence that they once belonged to one landmass called Pangaea? Antarctica and Africa Africa and North America South America and Africa Eurasia and South America

South America and Africa

Which three continents contain coal fields that provide evidence for continental drift? Africa, Antarctica, and North America Eurasia, Africa, and South America Antarctica, South America, and Africa South America, North America, and Eurasia

South America, North America, and Eurasia

Which statement describes one of Wegener's ideas that contributed to the theory of continental drift? - The continents drifted apart due to repeated meteor impacts. - The continents were once connected as one landmass. - The continents have moved apart very quickly due to earthquakes. - The continents are magnetically pulled toward or pushed away from one another.

The continents were once connected as one landmass.

Which statements about Pangaea are true according to widely accepted theories? - Pangaea existed two hundred thousand years ago. - The landmass of Pangaea split into separate continents over time. - Pangaea was discovered by Christopher Columbus. - Pangaea was surrounded by the waters of the ocean. - The coastline of Pangaea stayed consistent over time.

The landmass of Pangaea split into separate continents over time. Pangaea was surrounded by the waters of the ocean.

What happened to the giant landmass that Wegener described? - The pieces remained the same shape over time. - The pieces moved quickly to their current locations. - The pieces moved toward one another and created mountains. - The pieces broke apart and drifted away from one another over time.

The pieces broke apart and drifted away from one another over time.

How long ago do scientists believe the continents formed Pangaea? about 135 million years ago about 180 million years ago about 300 million years ago about 4.5 billion years ago

about 300 million years ago

Which land feature supports the theory of continental drift? canyons volcanoes coal fields oceans

coal fields

the gradual movement of the continents across Earth's surface over time

continental drift

What is the name of the theory that explains why mountain ranges in Africa and South America line up? Pangaea theory landmass theory continental drift theory plate movement theory

continental drift theory

Alfred Wegener theorized that the _____ were once one large landmass that drifted apart very slowly over a long time.

continents

In Wegener's view, what caused mountain ranges to form? volcanoes Earth shrinking meteorite impacts continents colliding

continents colliding

What first caused people to consider that the continents were once one large landmass? glacier evidence in warmer countries continents looked like they fit together studying the valleys of the ocean floor similar fossils were found on many continents

continents looked like they fit together

Which piece of evidence suggests that Africa and South America formed Gondwanaland 200 million years ago? coal fields a shared ocean folded mountains land formations created by glaciers

folded mountains

a trace of an ancient organism preserved within a layer or rock

fossil

Lystrosaurus provided which type of evidence supporting continental drift? land features fossil evidence glacial evidence climate change evidence

fossil evidence

Which source of evidence did Wegener use to support his theory of continental drift? fossils magnetic fields satellite mapping warm equatorial climates

fossils

Evidence of what feature is found in South Africa, despite South Africa's relatively mild climate? mountains glaciers coal fields tropical plant fossils

glaciers

The Amur plate, a small plate, has moved away from the Eurasian plate. It has move 125,000 meters in 25 million years. It is moving eastward. What geologic feature will form between the Amur and Eurasian plates? volcanic islands volcanic mountains new ocean floor mountains

new ocean floor

Fossils on continents that are now separated by ___ support the theory of continental drift. oceans mountains valleys

oceans

What evidence of climate change on continents supports the theory of continental drift? - signs that glaciers existed in South Africa - similar coal fields on different continents - change in atmospheric temperature over time - same animal fossils found on different continents

signs that glaciers existed in South Africa

a well-tested, widely accepted explanation that combines several hypotheses and observations

theory

Which evidence shows that landmasses had different climates millions of years ago and supports the theory of continental drift? coal fields in several continents volcano formation tropical plant fossils on Arctic islands folded mountains in Africa and South America

tropical plant fossils on Arctic islands

Continents closer to the equator have warmer climates, yet fossils of __ have been found on islands near the North Pole. This supports the idea that islands drifted from the equator. tropical plants mammals dinosaurs

tropical plants

When did people begin to notice that coastlines of continents fit together like puzzle pieces? - when satellites began taking pictures of Earth from space - when Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift - when early explorers traveled from Europe and Asia to the Americas - when geologists first started examining the fossil record of South America

when early explorers traveled from Europe and Asia to the Americas