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At what rate do continents move apart?

Updated: 8/11/2023
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FallingDown

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12y ago

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sea floor spreadingThe continents of South America and Africa started to spread apart when the mid-Atlantic Ocean ridge started creating new oceanic crust which pushed the continents apart.
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Wiki User

13y ago
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12y ago

1 mile every 600,000,000,000 years! (F) Fact.

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12y ago

plate tectonics

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Q: At what rate do continents move apart?
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Related questions

What theory that continents move apart form each other?

The action of continents drifting apart from each other is called, "Continental Drift". It is no longer a theory, as it has been proven to be so. Of course, as certain continents move apart from each other, they also are moving closer to other continents.


How can magma cause the plates that carry the continents to move apart?

magma is very hot so as it boils it moves the plates of the earth causing the continents to slowly move apart


What do scientist now think is causing the continents to move?

They now think that the continents are moving because of tectonic plates and how they move, or drift, apart.


What made the continents break apart and continue to move?

I'm Laura Hernandez


How far do continents move apart each year?

About 1-2 centimeters.


What is the ditance tectonic plates move per year?

the continents move at about the rate of your fingernail or 5cm. per year


How sea floor spreading provides a mechanism by which continents move?

The fact that plates move apart means that the plates will carry anything.


How did the continents move apart?

The theory of plate tectonics suggests that the movement of the continents is driven by the gradual movement of huge plates of Earth's crust, which float on the semi-fluid mantle beneath them. These plates constantly drift and collide, leading to the separation and movement of continents over millions of years through processes like seafloor spreading and subduction.


How have continents moved in the past?

Continents have moved in the past due to plate tectonics. This process involves the movement of the Earth's lithosphere plates on the fluid-like asthenosphere beneath them. Over millions of years, continents have drifted apart, collided, and shifted position on the Earth's surface, leading to the formation of mountain ranges, ocean basins, and other geological features.


Do the continents fit together like the pieces of a puzzle?

Yes, the continents do appear to fit together like pieces of a puzzle. This concept is known as continental drift, where the Earth's landmasses were once joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea and have since moved apart to their current positions over millions of years.


Tectonic plates that move apart most likely are loacted along?

Continents because the continents were together before when the earth was in its early stages then every thing separated so therefore the answer is continents


How fast do many continents move in a year?

The continents are always moving on top of vast tectonic plates. They move at a rate similar to how fast a human's fingernails grow. Every year they move a few centimeters more.