======Pangaea Puzzle======


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**Alternative titles:** Continental Drift Puzzle, Plate Tectonic Puzzle
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Introduce students to the concept of plate tectonics and the idea that continents were once connected.  
  - Display a globe or world map and have students consider how continents might fit together like puzzle pieces.  
  - Provide pairs of students with continent cutouts, scissors, glue or tape, and a sheet of paper.
  - Cut out the continent and island pieces and examine the symbols that represent geological and fossil evidence.  
  - Match continental boundaries using fossil distribution, desert belts, rock layers, and physical shapes of continents.  
  - Arrange and glue the landmasses onto the circle to form Pangaea, labeling the continents and the time period.  
  - Compare reconstructions with the provided answer key and discuss the reasoning behind placements.  




====Links==== 
How To Make Pangaea | Geology Unit - Pepper and Pine: 
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📄 Activity: A Plate Tectonic Puzzle - American Museum of Natural History: [[https://www.amnh.org/content/download/49383/751589/file/plate-tectonics-puzzle.pdf]]\\

📄 Pangea Puzzle - Florida Museum: [[https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2020/05/Florida-Museum-Pangea-Activity.pdf]]\\

====Variations====
  * Have students attempt the puzzle without using the fossil evidence, relying only on the shapes of continents.  
  * Use digital mapping tools or an online interactive version for reconstruction.  
  * Extend the activity by investigating how continents have shifted from Pangaea to their present-day positions.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Use scissors safely when cutting out continent shapes.  
  * Ensure glue or tape is used properly and does not create a mess in the workspace.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What evidence shows that continents were once connected? (Similar fossils, rock layers, and desert belts found on different continents.)  
  * How do the shapes of continents suggest they were once joined? (For example, the east coast of South America fits with the west coast of Africa.)  
  * Why do scientists believe continents are still moving today? (Measurements show tectonic plates shift a few centimeters each year.)  
  * What natural events result from plate movement? (Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain formation.)  
  * How does reconstructing Pangaea help us understand Earth’s history? (It shows how continents and life forms were once distributed and how geological processes shaped the planet.)