Geographical and Climate Change
How has our Earth changed?
Pangaea - THE SUPER CONTINENT
About 300 million years ago the 7 continents on our Earth that we have been learning about were all connected. It was one big supercontinent called Pangea. It started to break up about 175 million years ago. It is thought to look something like this.
Follow the link below and move the continents back to the way they were 300 million years ago.
Learn about the tectonic plates
Tectonic plates are constantly moving, however, at a fairly slow pace. They are what create our mountains, ocean trenches, volcano activity, and even earthquakes. Watch this video to learn how they helped changed Pangaea into the wondrous 7 continents on our earth!
Plate Tectonics Explained
Climate
Due to the plate tectonics moving, it not only has changed our geography but it has also changed our climate. CLIMATE is the pattern of weather over a long period of time. WEATHER is what we experience daily; we all know it can change within minutes here in Montana. Climate does change but it changes very slowly, just like our tectonic plates, which is why they go hand in hand. When Pangaea broke apart, the oceans moved which changed their current (moving warm and cold ocean water) having a major effect on the climate.
Plant Fossil - Cretaceous Period
144 to 65 million years ago, during this time period, the climate was much warmer than it is now. This is known because these types of fossils have been found in places on the globe that they would not be able to survive in today.
Glacier - Ice Age
2 million years ago was the most recent Ice Age, which is when almost all of the world is covered in ice and glaciers. This occurred because the climate was much cooler than it is now. Still we have cold and ice covered regions on Earth, but not the entire globe.
Post Ice Age - Present Day
Moving plates moves the oceans and land masses. The ice melts causing the sea levels to rise. In cycle, this makes the climate warmer, melting the ice even faster. Now our global climate is still increasing slowly but surely. Global warming is a current issue.
Current Global Warming
Click here to see the latest news on NASA and Earth's changes!
http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2421/
http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2421/
THINK
What do you think our globe will look like in the future? Geographically? What do you think the climate will be like?
Now practice labeling our 7 present day continents
Click here to get ready for the final test on the present day!
http://mrnussbaum.com/continents-and-oceans/
http://mrnussbaum.com/continents-and-oceans/
The Continental Drift Dance
Sing and dance along with Sid and people from ALL OVER THE 7 CONTINENTS!
The Sid Shuffle - Ice Age: Continental Drift
Resources
- "Climate Change." National Geographic Education. N.p., 24 Jan. 2011. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
- "Continental Drift." National Geographic Education. N.p., 01 June 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
- Fleming, Anthony. "Indiana Geological Survey - Ice Age in Indiana."Indiana Geological Survey - Ice Age in Indiana. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
- Guido, Zack. "Past and Present Climate." Past and Present Climate. University of Arizona, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
- "MOSI Outside: The Origin of the Butterfly." MOSI Outside: The Origin of the Butterfly. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
- Oskin, By Becky. "Continental Drift: Theory & Definition." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
- "Plate Tectonics - Pangaea Continent Maps." Pangea Continent Map. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
- "Sea Level Rise." Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.