Continental Drift Quiz

Panthalassa was the vast global ocean that surrounded Pangaea during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras.

The Appalachian Mountains in North America and the Caledonian Mountains in Europe show matching rock structures, indicating they were once connected.

Pangaea broke into northern Laurasia and southern Gondwana during the Mesozoic Era.

Plate Tectonics expanded upon Continental Drift by explaining the mechanism of movement through lithospheric plates.

“Pangaea” comes from the Greek words pan (all) and gaia (earth), meaning “all lands.”

The Atlantic Ocean continues to widen as new crust forms along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate sinks beneath another, balancing the creation of new crust elsewhere.

The coastlines of South America and Africa match remarkably well, a key visual clue for Wegener’s theory.

At divergent boundaries, plates move apart and new crust is created, as seen at mid-ocean ridges.

Pangaea started breaking apart in the early Mesozoic Era, about 200 million years ago.