top of page

Recent Posts

Archive

Tags

Modeling Geologic Processes in the High School Science Classroom- Continental Drift

Laboratory activities are essential in all science classes. I try and balance hands on activities with online simulations. Most often than not, my students get more out of the simple hands-on simulation than the computer generated on. Plus who doesn't love a fizzy reaction! I have been teaching Introduction to Geology this semester, it is the first time we have offered this class, so I have been developing it from scratch. One of my focus areas this year is to interject more history of science into my curriculum. It is important to understand how theories came to be and where the limitations of them are so we can push the boundaries of the theories in the future. One of the major theories in the study of geology is Continental Drift.


Alfred Wegener is commonly linked to the theory of continental drift, which suggests that all continents were once part of a supercontinent called Pangea. According to this theory, over millions of years, Pangea fragmented, shifted, and drifted due to convection currents in the mantle. The Theory is supported with evidence of identical fossil on continents separated by thousands of miles of ocean in between and the continents looking like giant puzzle pieces that fit together. However, Wegner's findings were not the beginning origins of the theory of Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics.

A brief timeline of the theory's development begins in 1596.

  • 1596 Recognition of the plates having moved

  • 1858 Correlating rock type and fossils across the continents

  • 1872 Mapping the Atlantic Mid- Ocean Ridge

  • 1896 Discovery of radioactivity (Earth's interior is hot)

  • 1897–1911 Delineating Earth's layered interior

  • 1912 Alfred Wegner proposed "Continental Drift"

  • 1927 Convection of mantle could drive the plates

  • 1953 Marie Tharpe recognizes mid-ocean ridge spreading

  • 1962 Harry Hess names "Spreading ridges"

  • 1963 Magnetic striping of ocean floor gives relative ages

  • 1963 Hotspots defined; transform faults.

  • 1960s defined the driving forces of plate tectonics


A simple demonstration to model continental drift is to use a pie plate, Styrofoam, and the reaction of citric acid and baking soda with water. In order to complete this demonstration, mix equal parts of citric acid and baking soda (I filled a beaker to the 50 mL mark) and mix them in a pie plate. Draw a supercontinent on a piece of Styrofoam and then break the Styrofoam into 5 pieces. Place the puzzle pieces of the supercontinent back together and place them on top of the citric acid and baking soda mixture. Pour 200-300 mL of water onto the side of the pie pan. Students can observe and document the movement of the Styrofoam pieces.





The reaction between baking soda and citric acid creates bubbles that push the Styrofoam pieces apart, mimicking the movement of tectonic plates. By observing the movement of the Styrofoam pieces, students can visualize how continents have shifted over millions of years.


Through guided questions, students analyze the experiment and draw conclusions about how and why the continents move, including identifying the energy source responsible for the movement in this model. They will also reflect on the limitations of the model. This lab activity is an excellent way to make earth science come to life in the classroom. Students will actively engage in creating a model, drawing scientific conclusions, and exploring continental drift interactively and memorably. Perfect for NGSS-aligned science curriculums!


Click on the lab header title to the right to get the lab activity on teacherspayteachers






Other resources for teaching Continental Drift



References

Comments

bottom of page