Puzzle Pieces Slides Classified Evidence
Puzzle Pieces
Continental Case File #001: The Geometric Fit of Our World
Inquiry Investigation
The Strange Coincidence
Look closely at the coastlines of South America and Africa.
"If you cut them out and pushed them together... would they fit?"
Visual Evidence Analysis
How do we know the Earth's continents move if the ground beneath us feels solid?
The Case Reporter: Alfred Wegener
Historical record of a meteorologist who noticed a pattern in the map.
Alfred Wegener
Meteorologist & Astronomer
"A conviction that the continents once were together must come to every observer who analyzes the map of the South Atlantic."
Observed the "Puzzle Fit" in 1910
Published "The Origin of Continents and Oceans"
Challenged the "Static Earth" theory
Your Mission
Analyze the "Fit" for yourself. Do the coastlines align perfectly, or is there missing evidence?
1
Cut
2
Assemble
3
Hypothesize
Case File Evidence Log Case File #1912-A
Evidence Log
Investigating the Theory of Continental Drift
Agent:
Date:
Essential Question
How do we know the Earth's continents move if the ground beneath us feels solid?
Cumulative Case Data
Category Key Evidence Findings Geometric Fit
Lesson 1 Analysis
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Fossil Data
Lesson 2 Analysis
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Geologic Match
Lesson 3 Analysis
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Climate Clues
Lesson 4 Analysis
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Final Verdict: Continental Drift
The Claim
Based on the evidence collected, summarize Alfred Wegener's theory in your own words:
The "Missing Piece"
What scientific question remained unanswered even after all this evidence was presented?
Continental Jigsaw Activity The Continental Jigsaw
Lesson 1: Testing the Geometric Fit Hypothesis
Name:
Date:
1
The Observation
Examine a modern world map. Focus on the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa . Describe what you notice about their shapes in the space below:
2
The Reconstruction
Instructions
Cut out the continent templates on Page 2.
Attempt to fit South America and Africa together like puzzle pieces.
Glue or tape your "Best Fit" in the box below.
Key Question
"Is the fit perfect? If not, what might have caused the coastlines to change over millions of years?"
Reconstruction Workspace
Activity Cutouts
Cut along the dotted lines
South America
Rough Cut Template
Africa
Rough Cut Template
Note to Student: These shapes are simplified for the activity. Real coastal erosion and sea level changes mean the "true" fit is found at the continental shelf, deep underwater!
Fossil Correlation Slides Biological Clues
Fossil Correlation
Continental Case File #002: Organisms that Crossed Oceans (Without Swimming)
Evidence Analysis
The Impossible Traveler
Meet Mesosaurus: A small, freshwater reptile.
Its fossils are found in South America AND Africa.
The Problem: It couldn't swim across 3,000 miles of salty ocean.
[Image of Mesosaurus Fossil]
Distance: 3,000+ Miles
The Evidence Quartet
Glossopteris
A tropical fern fossil found in Antarctica, India, and Australia.
Lystrosaurus
A land reptile found in Africa, India, and Antarctica.
Mesosaurus
Freshwater reptile found in S. America and Africa.
Cynognathus
Triassic land reptile found in S. America and Africa.
How did they cross?
Hypothesis A
🌉
Land Bridges
Giant bridges once connected continents and then sank into the ocean.
VS
Hypothesis B
🧩
Continental Drift
The continents were once physically joined, and the animals just lived there.
Map Your Evidence
Plot the fossil locations on your worksheet. Connect the regions where the same fossils are found. Does a pattern emerge?
Fossil Mapping Worksheet Biological Bridges?
Lesson 2: Mapping Fossil Correlation Evidence
Agent Name:
Date:
Global Fossil Distribution Map
SOUTH AMERICA
AFRICA
INDIA
ANTARCTICA
AUSTRALIA
Mesosaurus
Glossopteris
Lystrosaurus
Cynognathus
1. The Mystery of Mesosaurus
The Mesosaurus was a small reptile that lived in freshwater . If it lived on South America and Africa, why is it extremely unlikely that it swam across the Atlantic Ocean?
2. The Arctic Fern
Fossils of the tropical fern Glossopteris are found in Antarctica . What does this tell you about the past climate or location of Antarctica?
Case Update
Transfer your findings to your Evidence Log . How does this biological evidence strengthen the "Puzzle Fit" argument you made yesterday?
Mountain Match Slides Geologic Continuity
Mountain Match
Continental Case File #003: Ancient Ranges Across the Sea
Stratigraphic Analysis
Separated at Birth?
The Appalachian Mountains in North America end abruptly at the coast.
Mountains of the exact same age and rock type appear in:
🇬🇧 British Isles
🇳🇴 Scandinavia (Caledonian Mts)
🇲🇦 Morocco (Anti-Atlas Mts)
Matched Rock Strata
Like a Torn Page
"If you tear a page from a book, you don't just match the jagged edges. You also check if the sentences continue from one side to the other."
The "sentences" are the layers of rock (strata).
The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province
North America
Africa
When you push the continents back together, these rock sequences line up perfectly .
Strata Match-Up
You will receive "rock core samples" from three different continents. Align the layers to reconstruct the original super-continent sequence.
Strata Match-Up Activity The Rock Record
Lesson 3: Stratigraphic Continuity Lab
Agent Name:
Date:
Scientific Principle
If continents were once joined, the layers of rock (strata) formed during that time should be identical in composition, age, and sequence across the break. Think of it like a newspaper torn in half—the sentences must continue across the tear.
1
The Evidence Strips
Below are three "core samples" taken from different continents. Cut them out and align them side-by-side to find the matching sequence.
SHALE
SANDSTONE
BASALT
LIMESTONE
SAMPLE A: N. AMERICA
SANDSTONE
BASALT
LIMESTONE
COAL
SAMPLE B: EUROPE
BASALT
LIMESTONE
COAL
SHALE
SAMPLE C: AFRICA
2
The Analysis
1. The Overlap
Which rock layer appears in all three samples? Why is this layer a useful "marker" for scientists?
2. Geologic Continuity
If Sample A (N. America) and Sample B (Europe) have matching sandstone and basalt layers, what does that imply about where these rocks were formed?
Evidence Log Update
Record your geologic findings. Focus on how the Appalachian Mountains connect to the Caledonian Mountains.
Paleoclimatic Clues Slides Climate Anomalies
Climate Clues
Continental Case File #004: Evidence Written in Ice and Coal
Paleoclimatic Analysis
Scratches in the Sand
Geologists found Glacial Striations (deep scratches) on rocks in:
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇮🇳 India
🇦🇺 Australia
🇧🇷 South America
How do glaciers form in the tropics?
Glacial Evidence
Antarctic Swamps?
Coal Deposits
Coal only forms from ancient tropical swamps with dense vegetation.
Yet, massive coal beds were discovered in Antarctica.
If coal requires a tropical environment, then Antarctica must have been located somewhere else.
Connecting the Scratches
When the continents are joined together, the glacial marks form a single, massive ice sheet centered over the South Pole.
🌍 ➡️ 🧩
Detecting Latitude
On your map, you will use climate evidence to find where each continent used to be. Grab your investigation logs!
Climate Detective Activity Climate Detectives
Lesson 4: Paleoclimatic Evidence Investigation
Agent Name:
Date:
Glacial Striations
Scratches in bedrock made by moving ice sheets. Usually found near the North or South Poles.
Coal Deposits
Formed from the remains of dense, tropical swamp forests. Found in hot, humid equatorial regions.
1
The Frozen Swamp
British explorer Robert Falcon Scott found fossils of Glossopteris and coal beds just 300 miles from the South Pole in Antarctica.
Based on your understanding of climate, check the box that best explains this discovery:
Antarctica has always been at the South Pole, but the whole world used to be tropical.
Antarctica was once located much closer to the Equator and moved to the South Pole later.
Antarctic penguins used to build massive fires, which eventually turned into coal.
2
Ice in the Tropics
Examine the map below showing where 250-million-year-old glacial striations (scratches) were found.
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH BRAZIL
CENTRAL INDIA
Mystery: These locations are currently tropical/warm. Glaciers cannot exist here.
Analysis Question:
If these continents were separate 250 million years ago, it would mean the entire world was covered in ice (even the equator). However, we know tropical plants were growing elsewhere at the same time. How does Continental Drift solve this contradiction?
Final Evidence Check
Update your Evidence Log with Lesson 4 findings. You now have all four major pieces of the puzzle!
Drift Synthesis Slides Case Closed
The Drift Verdict
Continental Case File #005: Synthesis and the Scientific Resistance
Scientific Argumentation
The Evidence Pillars
Geometric
The coastlines of S. America and Africa fit.
Fossil
Identical organisms found oceans apart.
Geologic
Mountain ranges and rock strata match.
Climate
Glaciers and coal in the wrong latitudes.
"But HOW do they move?"
The Mechanism Problem
Wegener had the What and the Where, but he didn't have the HOW.
He suggested continents "plowed" through the ocean floor like ships. Geologists knew this was physically impossible.
Laughed Out of the Room
In 1912, the scientific community rejected Wegener's theory.
"This is the dream of a poet, not the science of a meteorologist."
Wegener died in 1930 on an Arctic expedition before his theory was proven right.
The Proof Came Later
1940s: Sonar mapping shows the Mid-Ocean Ridge.1960s: Harry Hess proposes Seafloor Spreading.1960s: Magnetic stripping proves plates move.
The Argument
You will now synthesize your Evidence Log into a formal scientific argument. Present your case for Continental Drift as if it were 1912!
Scientific Argument Workshop The Scientific Case
Lesson 5: Argument Synthesis Workshop
Scientist:
Date:
The Mission
You have spent the last four lessons collecting evidence. Now, you must write a formal scientific argument to convince the skeptical 1912 scientific community that the continents were once part of a single supercontinent: Pangaea .
1
Evidence Review
Select the three strongest pieces of evidence from your Evidence Log to include in your argument.
Evidence Piece #1
Evidence Piece #2
Evidence Piece #3
2
The Formal Argument
Claim What do you believe?
Evidence Provide your specific data points.
Reasoning Connect the data back to the claim.
3
The Counter-Argument
In 1912, scientists rejected Wegener because he couldn't explain HOW the continents moved. How would you respond to a critic who says: "Your evidence is interesting, but continents are too heavy to move through solid rock!"
Assessment: Continental Drift Argument
Claim: /2 Evidence: /6 Reasoning: /4
Continental Drift Answer Key Teacher Resource
Case Answer Key
Continental Case Files: Plate Tectonics Sequence
Subject
Earth Science
Lesson 1: Continental Jigsaw
Key Observation: The coastlines of South America and Africa align. However, it is not a "perfect" 1:1 match due to 200 million years of coastal erosion and sea-level change.
Expected Student Response: They should note that the "bulge" of Africa fits into the "indentation" of South America.
Lesson 2: Fossil Correlation
Mesosaurus: Freshwater reptile; couldn't cross salt oceans.
Glossopteris: Tropical fern found in Antarctica (proves latitude change).
The Argument: These organisms didn't cross oceans; the continents were once joined and the organisms lived in a single, continuous habitat.
Lesson 3: Geologic Evidence
Mountain Ranges: The Appalachian Mts (USA) and Caledonian Mts (UK/Scandinavia) have the same age, rock types, and structural alignment.
Strata Match: Sample Basalt layer (volcanic rock) is often used as a marker because volcanic events occur globally and leave a distinct signature.
Lesson 4: Paleoclimatic Clues
Glacial Striations: Found in modern tropics (India, S. Africa). This proves these regions were once closer to the South Pole.
Coal in Antarctica: Proves Antarctica was once near the Equator, as coal only forms in tropical swamps.
Lesson 5: Argument Synthesis
Sample Strong Argument:
"The continents were once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea. The geometric fit of the coastlines is supported by identical fossils (Mesosaurus) found on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Furthermore, the Appalachians connect directly to the Caledonians when joined, and coal in Antarctica proves these landmasses have drifted significantly from their original latitudes."
The Rejection: Wegener lacked the mechanism . He didn't know about mantle convection or seafloor spreading.
Pedagogical Tips
Misconception: Students often think Wegener was "wrong" because he was rejected. Clarify that he was right about the evidence , but wrong about the mechanism (continents don't plow through oceans).Extension: Challenge advanced students to research how Magnetism in the 1960s finally proved Wegener's theory. 
