Question

1. scroll to the section \pangeas animals\.

a. put the following statements in order from oldest (1) to youngest (4).
_____ beetles and dragonflies and synapsids flourished.
_____ archosaurs existed giving way to crocodiles, birds and reptiles.
_____ the great dying wiped out 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species.
_____ early dinosaurs emerged including the feathered theropods.

1. scroll to the section \cycle in history\.

a. how frequently do new supercontinents appear?
b. what drives the supercontinent cycle? what causes the heat needed for this?
go to the following website: pioneers of plate tectonics
alfred wegener was a german meteorologist, geophysicist, and polar researcher. in 1915 he published \the origin of continents and oceans\, outlining his continental drift theory. wegener was a member of four expeditions to greenland. in 1930 he visited greenland for the last time, where he died shortly after his fiftieth birthday. wegeners theory of continental drift, that the continents were once together and then drifted apart, was met with skepticism by many scientists. although he had a lot of evidence to support the theory, he could not explain how the plates moved. it would be almost half a century before this problem began to be solved. wegener supported his continental drift idea with 5 lines of evidence.
evidence #1: click on \jigsaw fit\.

1. which two coastlines match up exceptionally well?
2. how can we explain the gaps in the coastlines that seem to not match up very well?

evidence #2: at the bottom right side of the screen click on \geologic fit\.

1. how do outcrops of rocks (the first rocks that make up a continent) support wegeners theory that all of the land on earth was once connected together?

Explanation:

1. The west - coast of Africa and the east - coast of South America match up well like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, which is evidence for continental drift.
2. Erosion, sedimentation, and tectonic activity over millions of years can explain the gaps in the coastlines that don't match perfectly. Erosion wears away land, sedimentation builds it up, and tectonic forces can reshape the coastlines.
3. Outcrops of rocks with similar ages, types, and structures are found on different continents that are now separated. This suggests that these continents were once joined together, as the rocks would have formed in a continuous geological setting.

Answer:

1. The west - coast of Africa and the east - coast of South America.
2. Erosion, sedimentation, and tectonic activity over time have altered the coastlines.
3. Outcrops of similar rocks on separated continents suggest they were once connected.