Activity 3	click on the images above to move between activities

Try the activity!

Build you model and test your theory!

For this activity you will use modeling clay, 2 flat pieces of craft foam (an 8.5 X 11 sheet cut in half works), two magnets, and a copy of the map on the last page of the activity packet as a basemap to work on. Follow the activity to create a model of your hypothesis of how the Gamburtsevs formed.

What else was happening on Earth at this time?

 

 

 

500 Ma and 65 Ma are both so long ago it is hard to think about what the Earth would have been like. Click on the image above from the USGS to enlarge. (It's a large file and takes a minute to load). Look for both 500 and 65 Ma to see what kinds of species would have lived on the Earth during those time periods. Follow the activity to create samples of what else could have been alive.

 

Forming a mountain range in the middle of East Antarctica

How does the Earth build mountains? There are several ways, but for the Gamburtsevs there are two favorite hypotheses: Collision between pieces of the Earth's crust. The Earth’s outside crust is made up of plates (or sections) that fit together somewhat like a puzzle, but the pieces are constantly shifting at a very slow rate.  When two different continental plates collide they can push or fold up the land forming raised areas or mountains like the European alps. Hot Spots in the Earth’s interior forces hot molten rock (magma) to erupt through the surface of the Earth’s crust. Over time the rock builds up to form mountains like those that make up Yellowstone National Park.

TectonicReconstructionGlobal/EarlyCambrianGlobal.jpg: Dr. Ron Blakey - http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/ edited by Aineias - via Wikipedia Commons

This animation shows Earth's land masses as they have moved over time. It begins with the early Cambrian period. Click on the image to enlarge. Watch it play several times to see how much of the land mass starts out connected along the outer edges of the globe, reaching almost all the way around the Earth. Focus on the equator. The section of land that today is called Antarctica was all the way up by the equator in the early Cambrian. To read more go to 'Try the Activity'.

Earth's history is LONG! How long ago would this have happened?

Each theory has its own timeframe. Collision Theory - The continents have been drifting for many millions of years. About 500-250 millions years ago (Ma)* (during the Cambrian period), the piece of continent that was to become Antarctica drifted southward from a location near the equator towards its current location (recheck the animation). As the pieces of Earth's crust moved, there were collisions. A collision on the east side of Antarctica caused the crust to fold and raise creating today's Gamburtsev Mountains. Hot Spot Theory - About 65 Ma (the Cenozoic), the piece of continental crust that would become Antarctica moved over a developed hotspot deeper in the Earth. The hot mantle pushed up and formed volcanic mountains, today's Gamburtsevs. Whether it is 500 Ma or 65 Ma, that's a long time! Let's see what else was around in these time periods. Go to 'Try the Activity'.

*scientists use Ma (megaannum) as a shorthand for million years ago.