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Plate Tectonic Puzzle

Alfred Wegner was born in Germany on November 1, 1880. During his childhood years, Alfred became
interested in the island of Greenland, where exciting new studies of geophysics were being made. He became
determined to visit Greenland someday. He even made it a point to build and test his physical endurance so that
one day he could endure the harsh climate of the desolate island.
Wegener became an educated man and received his doctorate degree in 1904. He specialized in the area
of astronomy and the new science of meteorology, the study of weather. On 1906, his dream came true when a
Danish expedition to Greenland invited him to join it as its chief meteorologist. While on the expedition,
Wegener discovered a piece of data that bothered him for years to come. The Data he collected about the
island’s longitudinal location did not match data that had been collected by others in the past.
In 1912, Wegener proposed a theory that at one time all the Earth’s landmasses were joined together,
forming one giant supercontinent. He named the giant supercontinent Pangaea, which means “all Lands” in
Greek. Wegener’s theory, called continental drift, was not well received by other scientist.
While fighting in World War I, Wegener was wounded in 1914. While recuperating, he wrote a book
expressing his theory of continental drift. The following year, in 1915, the book titled Origin of Continents and
Oceans was published. The book was not favorably received.
In 1928, the exclusive American Association of Petroleum Geologist invited Wegener to New York to
present his theory. Wegener based his theory on five major pieces of evidence as described below.
1) The shapes of the continents of South America and Africa seem to fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle. This is especially true when you consider the actual edges of the continents, which extend
beneath sea level. (The continental shelves are indicated on the landmass drawings by the dotted lines.)
2) Matching fossils of both plants and animals occur along the east coast of South America and the west
coast of Africa.
3) Matching folded mountain belts appear along the eats coast of South America and the west coast of
Africa.
4) Evidence of ancient climates show that landmasses were once located on different parts of the Earth than
where they are located today. For example, glacial deposits are found in the hot, tropical areas of Africa;
and coal deposits, which come from lush, tropical swamps, are found under the ice of Antarctica.
5) The data that Wegener collected about the longitudal location of Greenland did not match the data
collected by earlier expeditions. Therefore, Wegener believed Greenland was moving away from the
continent of Europe.
After Wegener presented his theory and supporting evidence to the American Association of Petroleum
Geologist, he faced strong opposition and ridicule. He received comments such as he was eccentric,
preposterous, and lacked common sense. One member even ridiculed Wegener by asking, “What can you
expect? He is only a meteorologist!”
After the debate in New York, most of the scientific community dropped Wegener’s theory. However,
Wegner became more determined than ever to find answers to his questions. Why did the shapes of South
America and Africa fit so well together? How did coal form at the South Pole? How did glaciers exist in a
tropical climate in Africa? Wegener continued leading expeditions across the Earth looking for further
evidence to support his theory.
In 1930, Wegener returned to Greenland for his fourth visit. Ironically, the meteorologist became
stranded in a blizzard and died. Today, Wegener’s research is accepted in a different light. Even though he
did not have all the answers necessary to fully understand the movement of the continents, he did lay the
foundations for today’s understanding of our planet’s geophysics. He is now referred to as a scientific hero
who was ahead of his time and the father of “Continental Drift”.
Name __________________________________

Plate Tectonic Puzzle

Procedures – Puzzle Pieces
1) Open the puzzle box and pass the pieces to the members of your group so everyone has an equal number
of pieces
2) You will now put the puzzle together following these simple rules. First no one may talk and second you
may not touch another person’s puzzle pieces.
3) When the puzzle is complete and you have followed the rules answer questions 1 and 2 on your answer
sheet.

Procedure – Wegener Reading

1) Read the story about Alfred Wegener and answer questions 3 to 7 on your student sheet

Procedure – Evidence of Plate Tectonics

1) Study your landmass map and identify each landmass on your paper.
2) At your teacher’s direction, move to your appropriate station. Read about the evidence at the station
3) Use colored pencils to transfer the evidence to the correct landmass on your landmass map
4) Create a key for the evidence on your handout.
5) After all the stations have been visited, cut out the landmasses on your handout along the dotted lines.
Dispose of your trash appropriately and remember to keep your key.
6) Discuss the significance of the evidence with your group. Experiment with the cut-outs landmasses as
you did with the jigsaw puzzle. Use all the evidence when arranging the landmasses. Do not be
concerned if the pieces do not fit together exactly. Glue your landmasses together on the back of your
student page.
7) Be prepared to support your reconstruction with evidence.
8) Compare your landmasses with those of other groups and answer questions 8 to 11 on your answer
sheet.
Name __________________________________

Plate Tectonic Puzzle Student Page

Puzzle Pieces
1) How did you know which pieces fit together? _______________________________________________
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2) How do scientists know how to fit together pieces of information to make scientific explanations? _____
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Alfred Wegener
3) What do you think about Alfred Wegener’s contribution to our understanding of how Earth works?
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4) What did Mr. Wegener name his theoretical “supercontinent” and why did he choose that name?
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5) Explain why the continents did not fit exactly like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. ___________________
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6) Which of the two landmasses seem to fit together the best? Why might this be? ____________________
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7) Explain five types of evidence that supports the theory of Continental Drift. ______________________
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Evidence of Plate Tectonics
8) How does the arrangement of your landmasses compare with those of your classmates? _____________
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9) What is the primary evidence you used to arrange your landmasses? _____________________________
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10) Would it be easier or harder to arrange your landmasses if you had less evidence? Explain your answer.
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11) What additional evidence would be helpful in the arrangement of the landmasses? _________________
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