QUARTER 1 SCIENCE 10 ACTIVITIES

Evidences of Plate Movements

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Lesson 1: Evidence of Plate Movements:

Continental Drift Theory
What’s In
You have learned so far that Earth has distinct
mechanical and compositional layers. This
knowledge about the Earth's internal structure came
from the indirect observation of our scientists
through seismic activities. Scientists learned that as
continental and oceanic crusts move, they can form
geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and
mountain ranges.
Wegener's curiosity about the idea of drifting
What’s New continents started when he noticed the edges of South
Have you seen a world map before? America and Africa in a World Map could be fitted
Definitely, yes, you have seen one! Did you notice like a jigsaw puzzle.
that the eastern border of South America and the Would fitting edges of continents be enough
Western part of Africa seem to fit together like a big proof that the continents are drifting? What are the
jigsaw puzzle? other pieces of evidence gathered by Wegener to
support his Continental Drift Theory?

What is It

Evidence
Alfred Wegener collected
diverse pieces of evidence to
support his theory, including
geological "fit" and fossil
evidence. It is important to know
If you said yes, then you that the following specific fossil
are thinking like Alfred Lothar evidence was not brought up by
Wegener (1880-1930), who was Wegener to support his theory.
a German polar researcher, Wegener did not collect the fossils, but he
geophysicist, and meteorologist. called attention to the idea of using these scientific
He is remembered as the documents stating there were fossils of species
originator of the Continental Drift Theory by present in separate continents in order to support his
hypothesizing in 1912 that the continents are slowly claim.
drifting around the Earth and is once a large landmass Geological "fit" evidence is the matching of
called Pangaea, a Greek word which means "All large-scale geological features on different
Earth." continents. It has been noted that the coastlines of
South America and West Africa seem to match up,
The figure shows the evolution of the supercontinent however more particularly, the rock terrains of
Pangaea to the present-day distribution of separate continents confirm as well.
continents. Can you say that continents are drifting? Examples include the Appalachian
Mountains of eastern North America linked with the
Scottish Highlands, the familiar rock strata of the
Karroo system of South Africa matched correctly
with the Santa Catarina system in Brazil, and Brazil
and Ghana mountain ranges agreeing over the
Atlantic Ocean.
Glaciers carve rocks and leave marks as they
move. In this evidence, scientists
can determine the direction of
movement of each continent.
In addition, the existence
of coal deposits in Antarctica
suggested that it was once located
near the region of the Earth where the climate is Possibly the most important fossil evidence
enough to support complex life forms such as plants found in the plant, Glossopteris. The Glossopteris
and tall trees. fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South
See the figure on the right, notice the Africa, and South America—all the southern
direction of the movement of the continents indicated continents.
by the arrows during Pangaea time. Glossopteris seed is known to be large and
Look at the map below. It shows how Alfred bulky and possibly could not
Wegener mapped-out the distributions of the four have drifted or flown across
Permian and Triassic fossil groups and used it as the oceans to a separate
biogeographic evidence for continental drift and land continent. Therefore, the
bridging. continents must have been
joined at least one point in
time in order to maintain the Glossopteris' wide
range across the southern continents.

The Mesosaurus is Assessment 1

known to have been a type of Direction: Encircle the letter of the BEST answer.
reptile, similar to the modern
crocodile, which propelled 1. He was credited for the idea of Continental Drift
itself through the water with its Theory?
A. Alfred Lothar Wegener C. Harry Hammond Hess
long hind legs and limber tail. It B. Charles Darwin D. Robert Dietz
lived during the early Permian 2. All continents were once joined together forming a
period (286 to 258 million years supercontinent called__________.
ago), and its remains are found solely in South Africa A. Panthalassa C. Gondwanaland
and Eastern South America. B. Laurasia D. Pangaea
Now, if the continents were still in their 3. It is possibly the most important fossil plant evidence
present positions, there is no possibility that the that continents are drifting.
Mesosaurus would have the capability to swim A. Glossopteris C. Mesosaurus
across such a large body of ocean like the Atlantic B. Lystrosaurus D. Cynognathus
because it was a coastal animal. 4. What are the evidence gathered by Alfred Wegener to
The now extinct support his Continental Drift Theory?
A. continental fit, rocks, fossils, coal deposits, ancient
Cynognathus was a mammal-
climate, and glaciers scars
like reptile. Roaming the B. the ancient climate of Antarctica and Africa
terrains during the Triassic C. remains of dead plants and animals
period (250 to 240 million years D. observing the map
ago), the Cynognathus was as 5. What two specific continents fit together most
large as a modern wolf. Its noticeably?
fossils are found only in South Africa and South A. Africa and North America
America. As a dominant land species, the B. South America and Africa
Cynognathus would not have been capable of C. South America and Europe
migrating across the Atlantic. D. Antarctica and Africa
The Lystrosaurus,
which translates to "shovel Lesson 2: Evidence of Plate Movements: Seafloor
reptile," is thought to have Spreading Theory
been a herbivore with a
stout built like a pig. What’s In
Lystrosaurus fossils are You learned from Lesson 1 about the
only found in Antarctica, India, and Continental Drift Theory that all continents were
South Africa. Similar to the land- once connected into a big landmass called Pangaea,
dwelling Cynognathus, the and this was supported by the pieces of evidence
Lystrosaurus would not have had the gathered by Alfred Lothar Wegener; however,
swimming capability to traverse any questions such as what causes the continents to move
ocean. was not logically answered by the theory.
 In this lesson, you will learn about the Harry Hess observed that the rate of
Seafloor Spreading Theory that will strongly support formation of new seafloor at the mid-ocean ridge is
the idea that continents are drifting and find out the not always as fast as the destruction of the old
site of origin of plate movements. seafloor at the subduction zone. This explains why
the Pacific Ocean is getting smaller and why the
What’s New Atlantic Ocean is getting wider. If the subduction
zone is faster than the seafloor spreading, the ocean
Seafloor Spreading and Magnetic Reversal shrinks. He published his theory in History of Ocean
The idea of continental drift circulated in Basins (1962), and it came to be called "seafloor
scientific circles until World War II, when sounding spreading."
gear called SONAR produced new evidence of what In the early 1960s, dating of ocean-core
the seafloor looked like. The gear, developed in the samples showed that the ocean floor was younger
1930s, bounced sound waves off the seafloor to at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge but progressively older
determine its depth and features. in either direction, confirming the reality of seafloor
spreading.

Assessment 2
Direction: Encircle the letter of the BEST answer.

1. What can you say about the ages of oceanic crust near
and far from the midoceanic ridge?
A. Oceanic crust is younger near the ridge but older far
from it.
B. Oceanic crust is older near the ridge but younger far
from it.
It happened that the C. Oceanic crust materials have the same ages.
D. The Oceanic crust does not age.
command of one attack
2. During World War II, he discovered and proposed that
transport ship, the USS Cape the origin of the plate would be at the mid-oceanic ridge.
Johnson, was given to Harry A. Alfred Wegener
Hammond Hess, a geologist B. Harry Hess
from Princeton University. C. Charles Darwin
Hess, then in his late thirties, wanted to D. Albert Einstein
continue his scientific investigations even while at 3. Describe the thickness of sediments near and far from
war. So, he left his ship's sounding gear all of the the mid-oceanic ridge:
time, not just when approaching port or navigating a A. The sediments are thinner near the ridge but thicker
difficult landing. What Hess discovered was a big as you go far from it.
surprise. B. The sediments are thicker near the ridge but thinner as
you go far from it.
What did Harry Hess and his men
C. The thickness of the oceanic sediments near and far
accidentally discover when they explored the from the ridge is the same.
oceanic floor? Were they able to locate the start of all D. The sediments are unevenly distributed.
the movements on the Earth's surface? Moreover, did 4. What type of plate boundary is occurring in the Mid-
the Harry Hess team gather much strong evidence to Atlantic Ridge?
support the claim that continents are drifting? A. Convergent Plate Boundary
B. Transform Fault Plate Boundary
What is It C. Divergent Plate Boundary
Ocean floor D. Destructive Boundary
exploration continued, 5. Why is the Earth not getting bigger despite the fact
and by the 1950s, other that molten materials are gradually coming out from the
mid-oceanic ridge?
researchers had found
A. Because everything is being consumed in the
that a huge rift ran subduction zone.
along the top of the B. Because of the faster rate of movement of materials
Mid-Atlantic Ridge. from the ridge.
That enabled Hess to C. Because older oceanic materials are pushed away and
understand his ocean slowly consumed in the subduction zone.
floor profiles in the D. Because the rate of coming out of new oceanic
Pacific. He discovered materials and destruction of older oceanic crust are the
that the bottom of the same.
sea was not as smooth as expected, but full of
canyons, trenches, and volcanic sea mountains. He
realized that the Earth's crust had been moving away
on each side of oceanic ridges, down the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans, long and volcanically active.
Lesson 3: Evidence of Plate Movements: Seafloor core paradigm of their discipline. They used the term
Spreading Theory "plates" because they had found evidence that not
just continents move, but so do whole plates of the
What’s In Earth's crust.
The Seafloor Spreading Theory contradicts a A plate might include a continent, parts of a
part of the Continental Drift Theory. The Seafloor continent, and or undersea portions of the crust.
Spreading Theory strongly supports that the actual Alfred Wegener's idea of continental drift had been
site of plate movements would be in the mid-oceanic developed and refined together with the Seafloor
ridge. Spreading of Harry Hess.

What’s New Assessment 3

Magnetic Reversal Directions: Analyze the diagram that shows the

Further evidence came along by 1963, as Earth's magnetic polarity. The numbers indicate the
geophysicists realized that Earth's magnetic field ages of the oceanic rocks in a million years, while the
had reversed polarity many times, with each legend represents the normal-reverse polarity.
reversal lasting less than 200,000 years. Rocks of the
same age in the seafloor crust would have taken on
the magnetic polarity at the time that part of the crust
formed. Sure enough, surveys of either side of the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge showed a symmetrical pattern of
alternating polarity stripes. A magnetic compass can
tell direction. The needle of a magnetic compass Q1. If magnetic reversals are recorded in the
usually points to the North Pole of the Earth, which seafloor, what kind of rock is the seafloor made?
is actually the South Magnetic Pole at present. The Note: Materials rise and flow from the mid-oceanic
crystalized irons in rocks found in the seafloor act as ridge. The material that makes up the seafloor
a magnetic compass that can tell the Earth's magnetic contains magnetic materials such as iron. These
field direction. So, what is magnetic reversal? How solidified irons in the seafloor can act like a little
can magnetic reversal be used as evidence of the compass needle and follow the Earth's magnetic
Seafloor Spreading Theory? field.
__________________________________________
What is It __________________________________________
Seafloor spreading was strengthened with the __________________________________________
discovery of the magnetic rocks near the ridge __________________________________________
following a pattern aside from the fact that the rocks __________________________________________
near the ridge are younger than those farther from the
ridge. Q2. What does the magnetic stripes pattern
represent?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Magnetic reversal happened many times in Note: Remember that solidified irons in the oceanic
the past. The occurrence of the magnetic reversal can rocks can give information about the direction of
be explained through the magnetic patterns in the the Earth's magnetic field.
magnetic rocks. These magnetic patterns allow our Q3. Is the magnetic stripe pattern on each side of
scientists to understand the ages and rate of the Oceanic Ridge equal?
movement of the materials from the mid-oceanic __________________________________________
ridge. __________________________________________
The magnetic reversal, also called the __________________________________________
"magnetic flip" of the Earth, happens when the __________________________________________
North Pole is transformed into the South Pole, and __________________________________________
the South Pole becomes the North Pole. This event Q4. Are the ages of rocks on each side of the ridge
happens because of the changing direction of the the same?
flow of materials in the Earth's liquid outer core. __________________________________________
Over the last 10 million years, there had been __________________________________________
an average of 4 to 5 reversals per million years. New __________________________________________
rocks are added to the ocean floor at the ridge with __________________________________________
approximately equal amounts on both sides of the __________________________________________
oceanic ridge.
By the 1970s, geologists had agreed to use .
the term "plate tectonics" for what had become the