Task
Your job in this WebQuest is to discover what fossils have been found in Antarctica, and to identify how those fossils either support or disprove Wegener’s hypothesis and the theory of plate tectonics. You will have to find out what kinds of fossils have been found in Antarctica. You will have to discover how to interpret the meaning of these fossils as indicators of the climate that once prevailed in Antarctica. Finally, you will answer a set of questions about the fossils of Antarctica to demonstrate what you have learned.
Questions
Read through the following set of questions before you begin your Internet research. As you explore each site, look for answers to the questions.
- What were the first fossils found in Antarctica? Where and when were they found?
- What was the first dinosaur fossil found in Antarctica? Where and when was it found?
- What dinosaur fossil was found on Vega Island in 1986?
- What are the two reasons the fossil found on Vega Island is of particular importance to understanding the climate and location of Antarctica millions of years ago?
- The first dinosaur fossil and the fossil found on Vega Island in 1986 were representative of what geologic time period?
- What dinosaur fossil was found in the Transantarctic Mountains in the summer of 1990-1991? During what geologic time period did this dinosaur live?
- Besides the fossils already discussed, name the other fossil animals that have been found in Antarctica.
- Why have so few dinosaur fossils been found in Antarctica?
- Early expeditions to Antarctica reported on seeing fossils, but they did not collect them. Who first reported seeing fossils of leaves and stems of plants? Who reported finding beds of coal near the South Pole?
- How do plant fossils and beds of coal support the idea that Antarctica once was warmer than it is today?