Continental Drift (Continental Drift Theory)

What you learn

Simulation Ages 12–16

Continents drift slowly on giant puzzle pieces of rock.

Continental drift is the idea that Earth's continents slowly move across the globe.

Coastlines like South America and Africa look like puzzle pieces — because they once joined in a supercontinent called Pangaea.

Matching fossils and rock layers on both sides of the Atlantic supported Wegener's theory long before GPS could measure the motion.

Today we know huge tectonic plates carry continents at about the speed your fingernails grow.

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Getting your lab ready…

Warming up the lab…

Atmosphere

Change temperature or pressure and watch clouds, wind, and storms respond.

Carbon Cycle

Carbon moves between air, plants, soil, and oceans in a giant loop.

Classification of igneous rocks

Play this earth game and see what happens.

Continental Drift

Drag continents until matching fossils line up like puzzle pieces.

Coriolis Effect

Play this earth game and see what happens.

Day and Night, Seasons, White Night, Polar Night

Play with Day and Night and watch what changes when you try things.

This sim comes from free teaching tools at Javalab.org. We adapted it so you can play offline.