Why are there continents?

Answer 1

Yes, the 7 continents on Earth were once joined/fitted together about 250 million years ago, forming a supercontinent named Pangaea. It then splitted into 2 smaller supercontinents, Laurasia, consisting of North America, Asia & Europe and Gondwanaland, consisting of South America, Oceania, Antarctica & Africa, which then drifted apart to where they are now.

Answer 2

According to the theory of plate tectonics, the shapes of the different continents should be similar in such a way that it could appear that they fit into one another. The bump of South America and the inward curve of the African coast are the best example of this theory.

Answer 3

The continents are formed by lighter but thicker sections of the Earth's crust, which ride above the mantle and the thinner oceanic crust. The tectonic plates that form the continents are mostly in constant motion, sliding past, into, or away from each other. They all sit atop vast liquid oceans of magma (melted rock) heated by the mantle.

The current position of the continents, with the vast majority in the Northern Hemisphere, has only existed for less than 100 million years, after the last supercontinent, Pangaea, rifted apart. Fossils on the various continents indicate that they were all joined together when those plants and animals were alive.

Answer 4

Continents were formed due to the movement of tectonic plates on the Earth's surface. These plates collided, separated, and moved over millions of years, leading to the formation of landmasses that we now recognize as continents.

Answer 5

The continents look like that because they use to be a SUPER-CONTINENT called PANGAEA.