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The present shape of the continents does not fit perfectly into the shape of a supercontinent because the Earth's tectonic plates are constantly moving. These movements are driven by processes like plate tectonics and convection currents in the mantle, causing the continents to drift apart, collide, and rearrange over millions of years. This results in the continents having different shapes and positions compared to when they were part of a single supercontinent like Pangaea.
One reason is because the coastlines of land masses change over time. If you map the edges of the continental shelves, the fit is much better.
Changes in sea level, erosion, and deposition of sediment call all change the shapes of coastlines. What fit together even better than the continents themselves are the continental shelves. These areas were once dry land but dropped below sea level as Pangaea broke up. Even these can become somewhat distorted by tectonic forces.
As the continents moved further apart, natural erosion of the Coastlines removed and added to the basic shape over billions of years. Much of the evidence relates to the similarities of plants and animals found on now separate continents. Geological evidence points to Antarctica was once further north and had a tropical climate!
South America and Africa are considered mirror images of each other due to their similar shapes and positions. This resemblance is due to the theory of plate tectonics and the separation of the two continents from the supercontinent Pangaea.
One reason is because the Coastlines of land masses change over time. If you map the edges of the continental shelves, the fit is much better.
One reason is because the Coastlines of land masses change over time. If you map the edges of the continental shelves, the fit is much better.
One reason is because the coastlines of land masses change over time. If you map the edges of the continental shelves, the fit is much better.
Changes in sea level, erosion, and deposition of sediment call all change the shapes of coastlines. What fit together even better than the continents themselves are the continental shelves. These areas were once dry land but dropped below sea level as Pangaea broke up. Even these can become somewhat distorted by tectonic forces.
Sea level changes, erosion, sedimentation, and uplift and subsidence of the surface can change the shapes of costlines. It has been dound that the present day continental shelves acutally fit together better than the coastlines. This makes sense, as when Pangaea rifted apart, the land immediately around the rifts would have dropped below sea level.
As the continents moved further apart, natural erosion of the Coastlines removed and added to the basic shape over billions of years. Much of the evidence relates to the similarities of plants and animals found on now separate continents. Geological evidence points to Antarctica was once further north and had a tropical climate!
As the continents moved further apart, natural erosion of the Coastlines removed and added to the basic shape over billions of years. Much of the evidence relates to the similarities of plants and animals found on now separate continents. Geological evidence points to Antarctica was once further north and had a tropical climate!
As the continents moved further apart, natural erosion of the Coastlines removed and added to the basic shape over billions of years. Much of the evidence relates to the similarities of plants and animals found on now separate continents. Geological evidence points to Antarctica was once further north and had a tropical climate!
They would fit roughly together but not perfectly due to years and years of erosion. As evident as Africa and So. America are that they were once joined. Erosion does not work. Even with that they will not fit. Try it with cut outs. But shrink the size of the earths sphere to about 1/2 its size today and they fit perfect.
What scientific disciplines records the shapes and locations of continents
they can increase or move the size of the continents
The shapes of continents appearing on the map clearly show similar shapes and how the continents might fit together.