List of ancient oceans

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/list-of-ancient-oceans

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the paleogeographic reconstruction?Utilizes paleomagnetism, rock types (ophiolites), and fossil distribution
2. What is the key tectonic processes?Seafloor spreading, subduction, and continental collision drive ocean closure
3. What were some ancient oceans that no longer exist?The Rheic Ocean, Iapetus Ocean, Panthalassic Ocean, and Tethys Ocean were ancient seas that have disappeared over Earth's history.
4. Why did ancient oceans disappear?Ancient oceans disappeared when tectonic plates moved, causing seafloor to be pulled under other plates and continents to collide, shrinking and closing the ocean.

Paleogeography: The study of the geographic features of past geological eras.
Ophiolite: A section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle exposed on land.
Orogeny: A process of mountain formation, especially by folding and faulting of the Earth's crust.
Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another into the Earth's mantle.