There are many prominent landforms in Victoria that are familiar to anyone living in or travelling between major population centres. How old are they, and how were they formed? Answering these basic questions leads to an exploration of continental drift and volcanism, both of which play a major role in the shaping of Victoria. In this program, students piece together the clues that form the modern theory of continental drift, and conduct an experiment that illustrates the different types of volcanoes.

Continental drift is a highly supported scientific theory, originating in the early 20th century, that Earth’s continents move or drift relative to each other over geological time. The theory of continental drift has since been validated and incorporated into the science of plate tectonics, which studies the movement of the continents. The first truly detailed and comprehensive theory of continental drift was proposed in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist.

A STEM in a Box kit will be sent to schools. The kit contains all the equipment required for 6 groups of 4 students to conduct two activities. This includes a cut-out continental drift jigsaw, and a “flat-pack” volcano with lava mixtures.

No prior knowledge is required.

In this program students will:

• Learn that Victoria was shaped over a long period of time by many geological events, and that the process is ongoing today.
• Understand how geological evidence leads to the theory of continental drift.

In this video conference students will:

• Piece together the clues that lead to the theory of continental drift, in the form of a jigsaw.
• Conduct a controlled experiment to explore the difference between stratovolcanoes and shield volcanoes.

Science: Science as a human endeavour

• Scientific knowledge changes over time, often resulting from collaboration or by building on the work of others, and leads to advances in science (VC2S6H01)

Geography: Geographical knowledge and understanding

• The specific geographical and other characteristics that shape their place, how their place is changing and how change is managed (VC2HG6K03)