Questions: Part 1 (1 point) How did Wegener use this map to justify his continental-drift hypothesis? Choose one: A. Wegener speculated that the distribution of late-Paleozoic sedimentary environments defined climate belts on Pangaea and therefore the position of the continents. B. Wegener concluded that the direction of the glacial striations showed the direction the continents moved as Pangaea broke apart. C. Wegener said these environments occurred at different latitudes than where they occur today. D. Wegener suggested these areas have the same climate today. Part 2 (1 point) Can the pattern of glacial striations be explained if continents have always been in their present-day locations? Choose one: A. No, because glacial ice moves toward coastlines, as many of the striations indicate, not toward the middle of continents. B. Yes, because glacial ice currently exists on many of these landmasses. C. No, because the glacial striations are not in agreement if there was a supercontinent D. Yes, because the entire southern hemisphere was covered in ice sheets.

The answer is the first one (A): Wegener speculated that the distribution of late-Paleozoic sedimentary environments defined climate belts on Pangaea and therefore the position of the continents.

Explanation for each option:

• A. Wegener speculated that the distribution of late-Paleozoic sedimentary environments defined climate belts on Pangaea and therefore the position of the continents.

  • Correct: Wegener used the distribution of sedimentary environments, such as coal beds, deserts, and glacial deposits, to infer the past climate zones of Pangaea. This helped him to reconstruct the positions of the continents in the past.

• B. Wegener concluded that the direction of the glacial striations showed the direction the continents moved as Pangaea broke apart.

  • Incorrect: While glacial striations were part of his evidence, Wegener did not use them to show the direction of continental movement but rather to support the idea that continents were once joined.

• C. Wegener said these environments occurred at different latitudes than where they occur today.

  • Incorrect: This is a partial truth but not the main point. Wegener used the distribution of these environments to infer past latitudes, but the key point was defining climate belts on Pangaea.

• D. Wegener suggested these areas have the same climate today.

  • Incorrect: Wegener argued the opposite; he suggested that the climates of these areas have changed because the continents have moved.

The answer is the first one (A): No, because glacial ice moves toward coastlines, as many of the striations indicate, not toward the middle of continents.

Explanation for each option:

• A. No, because glacial ice moves toward coastlines, as many of the striations indicate, not toward the middle of continents.

  • Correct: The pattern of glacial striations suggests that ice moved from central areas toward the coastlines, which would not make sense if the continents were in their current positions. This supports the idea that the continents were once joined in a different configuration.

• B. Yes, because glacial ice currently exists on many of these landmasses.

  • Incorrect: The presence of glacial ice today does not explain the ancient striations, which indicate past glacial movement patterns inconsistent with current continental positions.

• C. No, because the glacial striations are not in agreement if there was a supercontinent.

  • Incorrect: This statement is misleading. The glacial striations do make sense in the context of a supercontinent like Pangaea, where ice could move outward from a central ice cap.

• D. Yes, because the entire southern hemisphere was covered in ice sheets.

  • Incorrect: This is not accurate. The glacial striations indicate specific directions of ice movement that align with the idea of a supercontinent rather than a uniformly ice-covered southern hemisphere.

In Part 1, Wegener used the distribution of late-Paleozoic sedimentary environments to define climate belts on Pangaea, supporting his continental-drift hypothesis. In Part 2, the pattern of glacial striations cannot be explained if continents have always been in their present-day locations, as the striations indicate ice movement toward coastlines, supporting the idea of past continental configurations.