In this lesson, students will use a simulation to explore the relationship between continental drift and seafloor spreading.

• Students will relate continental drift to seafloor spreading.
• Students will understand the role of mid-ocean ridges in seafloor spreading.

• ridge
• trench
• seafloor spreading
• seismic
• tectonic plate
• continent

In this lesson, students will use a simulation to explore the relationship between continental drift and seafloor spreading. A guided lesson video (optional) is also available for this activity. The video is targeted at students and designed to help guide them through the interactive exploration and the concepts covered within. (It may also be helpful for teachers who may be using the activity for the first time.) 

 As a result, students will…

• Measure the distance between South America and Africa over a 120 million year time span.
• Understand how the age of the ocean floor relates to its distance from a mid-ocean ridge.

This activity was created using Lua. Learn more about Lua in TI-Nspire here.