Educational Model: Continental Drift

Part of the IUMC (Innovative Educational and Methodological Complex) “Ecology: Constructing the Biosphere,” developed in 2008 by D. A. Shabanov, A. G. Kozlenko, and M. A. Kravchenko by order of the NTFP (National Training Foundation) of the Russian Federation (more about this project is discussed in the article “Innovation and Reality”; reasons why this complex is not used are briefly described in the column “Textbooks: Straight into the Day After Tomorrow”). This model is posted here for educational use. The model shows continental positions at different stages of Earth’s history. The causes of the phenomena shown are explained in the Educational Model Plate Tectonics. Instructions for working with the model are located at the very bottom of its window; if these instructions do not fit in the box, they can be scrolled up and down with the arrows on the right. At the first stage, images of continental arrangement at different stages of Earth’s history are shown sequentially in the working area of the screen. Transition from one image of continental arrangement to another in the object area is performed by pressing the “Next” button in the tool area or by dragging the marker on the timeline. Buttons in the working area launch animation, which can be stopped at any stage using the corresponding button. The second stage of the model demonstrates the collision of the Indian and Asian tectonic plates and the formation of the youngest major mountain system, the Himalayas. Some tasks that can be solved while working with the model: 1. Examine changes in the distribution of continents across Earth’s surface. Suggest when all terrestrial flora and fauna belonged to a single biogeographic region, and when differences emerged among continental floras and faunas due to isolation from one another. 2. Determine the role of tectonic processes in natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes. Is the formation of new mountain systems possible in our time?