🦕 Part 1: Fossil Evidence for Continental Drift

1. Which scientist first proposed the theory of continental drift?

Charles Darwin

Alfred Wegener

Albert Einstein

Marie Curie

2. The fossil Glossopteris (an ancient plant) has been found on which continents? (Check all that apply)

South America

Africa

Antarctica

Australia

India

3. Mesosaurus was a small freshwater reptile. Its fossils are found only in:

North America and Europe

South America and Africa

Asia and Australia

Antarctica and Greenland

4. Why is it unlikely that Mesosaurus could have swum across the Atlantic Ocean?

It was too small

It was a freshwater animal and couldn't survive in salt water

It couldn't swim fast enough

The ocean was frozen at that time

🌍 Part 2: Understanding the Evidence

5. Explain how finding identical fossils on different continents supports the theory of continental drift.

6. The supercontinent that existed about 250 million years ago is called _______________.

7. Besides fossils, name two other types of evidence that support continental drift theory.

8. Why was Wegener's theory of continental drift initially rejected by many scientists?

🎨 Part 3: Apply Your Knowledge

9. Draw and label a simple diagram showing how the continents might have fit together 250 million years ago. Include at least three continents and show where Glossopteris fossils might be found.

10. If you discovered a new fossil species on the coast of Africa, where else in the world would you expect to find similar fossils? Explain your reasoning.