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Pangea did fit perfectly together. However, if you tried to fit the continents into Pangea again today, you'd have difficulty. This is because their Coastlines are changed due to water erosion.

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What don't the present shapes of the continents fit perfectly into a supercontinent?

Between 320 million and 195 million years all the landmasses on Earth were joined together as a massive supercontinent called Pangaea. Over time, convection in the mantle and other forces that brought the continents together, eventually caused them to split apart and move toward their present- day location. They continue to evolve as they move in different directions, thereby no longer fitting perfectly like a puzzle for a variety of geological reasons. First, fracturing in the crust due to rifting and erosion leads to irregular coastlines that no longer fit like a puzzle, though the many continental edges still closely match. Secondly, as separation occurs magma rises through the rift zone to become new crust as evident in the East African rift today. Third, as Pangaea split into two halves, Gondwana and Laurasia, collisions still occurred for a few million years. Furthermore, between then and now, microcontinents and island terranes from distant places, with different fossils and rock types, collided and accreted onto the edges of continents. These collisions cause mountains to be built on the mainland and also volcanic mountains at subduction zones if ocean crust is involved in the collision, further adding new crust and extending continental edges during lava flows. Finally, surface processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition can alter coastlines and continental shelves. Wave action and hurricanes can destroy coastlines and transport the material elsewhere, as can underwater landslides. Coastlines can also be extended by deposits from ocean currents and even more so by river delta deposits as evident in the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.


Why is knowing the continents and oceans important?

Knowing the continents and oceans is important for a variety of reasons. It helps with understanding geography, history, and culture. It also aids in navigation, communication, and building global awareness and empathy.


Why in the US is it taught that there are 7 continents instead of 6?

I imagine you might be thinking of the Americas as one continent instead of North and South America. The continents are usually grouped as : Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/Oceania, and Europe; but in the US they generally group the Americas as North and South America.


Why is Asia and Europe separate continents?

Asia and Europe are considered separate continents due to historical, cultural, and geological reasons. The Ural Mountains and the Ural River in Russia are often considered the boundary between the two continents, although the distinction is largely arbitrary. Over time, these regions developed distinct identities and are now commonly recognized as separate continents.


Why are continents important?

Continents are important for several reasons: they provide a framework for understanding Earth's geology and plate tectonics, they determine the distribution of landmasses and oceans which shapes climate and ecosystems, and they offer a geographic basis for delineating regions, cultures, and habitats. Additionally, continents influence trade routes, migration patterns, and the development of human societies.

Related Questions

Did Pangaea ever really exist?

Nobody really knows if Pangaea really existed. People believe it did because if you shift the continents, it looks like it could make Pangaea. There are many other reasons, but that is the most common.


What are the other reasons why pangaea break?

Not sure entirely what you are asking but... It isn't entirely known what drives plate tectonics, but some contributing factors are slab pull at subduction zones, and ridge slide at divergant plate boundaries. There is also suggestion that convection currents in the mantle might act to aid this motion. All this would act to pull apart/reform the Pangaea


How old is Atlantic Ocean?

it is approximately 135-150 million years old. It's formation began during the breakup of pangaea, a landmass which consisted of all the modern continents. We can tell today for a number of reasons, one of which is because it is contantly widening while the Pacific is shrinking.


What don't the present shapes of the continents fit perfectly into a supercontinent?

Between 320 million and 195 million years all the landmasses on Earth were joined together as a massive supercontinent called Pangaea. Over time, convection in the mantle and other forces that brought the continents together, eventually caused them to split apart and move toward their present- day location. They continue to evolve as they move in different directions, thereby no longer fitting perfectly like a puzzle for a variety of geological reasons. First, fracturing in the crust due to rifting and erosion leads to irregular coastlines that no longer fit like a puzzle, though the many continental edges still closely match. Secondly, as separation occurs magma rises through the rift zone to become new crust as evident in the East African rift today. Third, as Pangaea split into two halves, Gondwana and Laurasia, collisions still occurred for a few million years. Furthermore, between then and now, microcontinents and island terranes from distant places, with different fossils and rock types, collided and accreted onto the edges of continents. These collisions cause mountains to be built on the mainland and also volcanic mountains at subduction zones if ocean crust is involved in the collision, further adding new crust and extending continental edges during lava flows. Finally, surface processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition can alter coastlines and continental shelves. Wave action and hurricanes can destroy coastlines and transport the material elsewhere, as can underwater landslides. Coastlines can also be extended by deposits from ocean currents and even more so by river delta deposits as evident in the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.


What is one of the reasons Alfred Wegener believed Earth's continents once formed a single massive supercontinent?

Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, believed that Earth's continents once formed a single massive supercontinent called Pangaea. One of the main reasons he believed this was the apparent "fit" of the coastlines of South America and Africa, which he noticed while studying maps and charts. He also noted that certain fossils and rock formations appeared to match across these continents, even though they were now separated by vast oceans. Wegener hypothesized that the continents had once been joined together, but had since drifted apart over time. This idea was later supported by the theory of plate tectonics, which explained how the Earth's crust is composed of a series of large plates that move slowly over time.


What are reasons why the earth was once a larger continent?

because the way the water moved. one year all the continents were together and then suddenly broke off because of the water going down.


What is one of the reasons Alfred Wegener believed Earth's continents once formed a single massive supercontinent?

Observations of a map of the continents hinted that the continents once fitted together. Later, he would discover fossil evidence to support his theory. But alas, he was unable to explain the mechanism by which the continents could move, and was soundly thrashed by geologists of his time. The discoveries leading to the science of plate tectonics were not made until the mid twentieth century.


Who first proposed the theory of Continental theory?

Francis Bacon noticed in 1620 that the outlines of the continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but did not suggest a theory of why. Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1780 that the crust of the Earth must be a shell that can break and shift by movements of a fluid below The proper theory of continental drift was suggested by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century. He published a book "The origin of the continents and oceans" proposing the existence of a supercontinent he called Pangaea about 250 million years ago. He was unable to explain a driving mechanism, which is one of the reasons why his theory was at first rejected by the scientific community.


Why makes Europe a continents?

Europe is technically not a continent, in physical means, and neither is Asia (or Africa for that matter). Together they all form the continent of Eurasia (or Afroeurasia/Eurafrasia). Europe and Asia are politically split for MAJOR cultural, historical, ethnical, etc. reasons. The two continents peoples were practically isolated for centuries.


Is it safe to have intercourse when she is pregnant?

Yes, it is perfectly safe to do so, unless there are medical reasons not to.


Reasons temperature ranges greater for places in the interior of continents than they are for places near oceans?

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What was the main reasons Columbus went to the American continents?

He was searching for a shorter, faster trade route to India.