However, many other types of evidence also support the theory of plate tectonics. ... South America and Africa were once together, but were split apart by the formation of a diverging plate boundary . This is confirmed by matches between the rocks and fossils of the two continents.
How did the South American plate and African plate move evidence?
How did the South American Plate and African Plate move? Earth’s plates move on top of a soft, solid layer of rock called the mantle. ... The South American and African Plates moved apart as a divergent boundary formed between them and an ocean basin formed and spread .
How does the shape of the continents support the theory of plate tectonics?
For billions of years, plate tectonics built and fragmented supercontinents—land masses made of multiple continents merged together. ... Plate movement slowly breaks apart the supercontinent. This sends pieces across the ocean to collide and form a new supercontinent, which will also eventually fragment.
Why do Africa and South America look similar?
The Atlantic coasts of Africa and South America appear to fit together neatly , like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The same shape is also traced out by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, shown on this map by the light-colored area (representing relatively shallow seas) between the two continents.
What fossil found in South America & Africa is evidence for plate tectonics?
The Glossopteris fossil is found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America—all the southern continents.
What features formed between South America and Africa?
Mid-Atlantic Ridge . The North American and Eurasian Plates are moving away from each other along the line of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The Ridge extends into the South Atlantic Ocean between the South American and African Plates.
Which way is the South American Plate moving?
| Plate name Description of plate Description of movement | South America plate This plate starts at the western edge of South America and stretches east into the southwestern parst of the Atlantic Ocean. This plate moves north and slightly west towards the Caribbean plate and the North America plate. |
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How do the continents fit together?
The continents fit together like pieces of a puzzle. ... Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were once united into a single supercontinent named Pangaea, meaning all earth in ancient Greek. He suggested that Pangaea broke up long ago and that the continents then moved to their current positions.
Which of following observation about landforms best supports the theory of plate tectonics?
Which of the following observations about landforms best supports the theory of plate tectonics? Impact craters have been found both on dry land and on the ocean floor . As lava cools on Earth’s surface, it forms a variety of igneous rocks.
What evidence best supports the plate tectonic theory?
There is variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents , (2) the occurrence of earthquakes, and (3) continental and ocean floor features including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches.
Did Africa and South America used to be connected?
South America nearly carried off Northwest Africa when the world’s last supercontinent fell apart 130 million years ago. ... Back before the Atlantic Ocean formed, Africa and South America nestled together in a massive supercontinent called Gondwana.
What is the difference between South America and Africa?
Africa is 1.69 times as big as South America
At about 30.3 million km 2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area. ... Algeria is Africa’s largest country by area, and Nigeria is its largest by population.
Why is South America shaped like Africa?
South America and Africa were once together, but were split apart by the formation of a diverging plate boundary . This is confirmed by matches between the rocks and fossils of the two continents. Plate motion, not continents drifting, explains this. The two continents are still moving away from each other today.
How do fossils tell us where plants and animals once?
Fossils give us information about how animals and plants lived in the past. Once people began to recognise that some fossils looked like living animals and plants, they gradually began to understand what they were. They realised they were actually the ancestors of today’s plants and animals.
Is the presence of animal fossils tells that South America Africa and Antarctica were once connected?
Many scientists thought that Africa, India, Australia, South America, and Antarctica had once been connected into a large ancient continent known as Gondwana . ... Those fossils belonged to a species previously found in Africa, providing further evidence that the distant present-day continents were once connected.
How does the theory of plate tectonics help to explain the distribution of earthquakes?
As the plates grind along they build up potential energy along the fault, which is occasionally released in the form of vibrations. The distribution of transform boundaries around the world is a major predictor for the distribution of earthquakes worldwide.
What type of plate boundary is South American Plate and African Plate?
Boundaries. The western edge of the African Plate is a divergent boundary with the North American Plate to the north and the South American Plate to the south which forms the central and southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Is the South American Plate divergent convergent or transform?
The South American Plate is the smallest major plate
At the west side of South America, it experiences devastating earthquakes due to the convergent plate tectonic boundaries. But the eastern edge lies in the Atlantic Ocean at a divergent plate boundary.
What type of plate boundary is formed by the southeastern Caribbean Plate and South American Plate?
The profile extends across the transform plate boundary between the southeastern Caribbean (CAR) and South American (SA) plates. East of the profile the plate boundary bends to the north, and SA subducts beneath CAR.
What type of plate boundaries exist in South America and Antarctic plates?
Motion on Plate Boundaries
The two longest boundaries—those with the Antarctic and South American plates—are both sinistral strike-slip boundaries (Thomas et al., 2003). The southern border with the Antarctic plate, known as the South Scotia Ridge, moves with a rate of 7.5-9.5 mm/yr.
Which way is the African Plate moving?
For millions of years the African plate, which contains part of the Mediterranean seabed, has been moving northward toward the Eurasian Plate at a rate of about an inch every 2.5 years (a centimeter a year).
How was the South American Plate formed?
A supercontinent, Pangea, formed approximately 300 million years ago in the Paleozoic era (Lovett, 2008), and it began to break apart 200 million years ago (Condie 1989). South American plate is one of the plates Pangea broke apart to.
What is the theory of plate tectonics helps explain which of the following?
The theory of plate tectonics explains most of the features of Earth’s surface . It explains why earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain ranges are where they are. It explains where to find some mineral resources. Plate tectonics is the key that unlocks many of the mysteries of our amazing planet.
What is the theory of plate tectonics combines which two other theories?
In fact, plate tectonics actually combine two other theories, continental drift and seafloor spreading into a comprehensive global theory. It’s curious that the continents on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean fit together so well, almost like a jigsaw puzzle.
How do plate tectonics move?
Plate tectonics move because they are carried along by convection currents in the upper mantle of the planet (the mantle is a slowly flowing layer of rock just below Earth’s crust). Hot rock just below the surface rises and when it cools and gets heavy, it sinks again.
How does the plate tectonic theory unify the concepts of geology?
The theory of plate tectonics is a unifying theory that helps explain many seeming unrelated geologic phenomena. The theory states that Earth’s lithosphere is broken into numerous slabs or plates which are in constant motion driven by heat flow from within the Earth’s interior (mantle and core) .
Which statement best supports the theory of continental drift?
Which statement best supports the theory of continental drift? Basaltic rock is found to be progressively younger at increasing distances from a mid-ocean ridge. Marine fossils are often found in deep-well drill cores. The present continents appear to fit together as pieces of a larger land mass.
What happened between South America and Africa?
Between about 170 million and 180 million years ago, Gondwana began its own split , with Africa and South America breaking apart from the other half of Gondwana. About 140 million years ago, South America and Africa split, opening up the South Atlantic Ocean between them.
Which minor plate is between South America and Pacific plate?
Some important minor plates include: Cocos plate: Between Central America and Pacific plate. Nazca plate : Between South America and Pacific plate.
What do you think are the causes of plate movement describe movement of plate?
The force that causes most of the plate movement is thermal convection , where heat from the Earth’s interior causes currents of hot rising magma and cooler sinking magma to flow, moving the plates of the crust along with them. ... In ridge push and slab pull, gravity is acting on the plate to cause the movement.
How does the theory of plate tectonics support the theory of seafloor spreading?
Significance. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics. When oceanic plates diverge, tensional stress causes fractures to occur in the lithosphere. ... At a spreading center, basaltic magma rises up the fractures and cools on the ocean floor to form new seabed.
Why are the continents shaped the way they are?
The surface of the continents has changed many times because of mountain building, weathering, erosion , and build-up of sediment. Continuous, slow movement of tectonic plates also changes surface features. The rocks that form the continents have been shaped and reshaped many times.
What continent was South America connected to?
South America is believed to have been joined with Africa from the late Paleozoic Era to the early Mesozoic Era, until the supercontinent Pangaea began to rift and break apart about 225 million years ago. Therefore, South America and Africa share similar fossils and rock layers.
How did Africa and North America separate?
About 525 million years ago, that land mass broke apart, with North America on one side and South America, Africa and the small island pieces on the other. The two plates drifted apart, forming the Iapetus Ocean . ... The amount of each element was typical of rock created in the ocean, away from larger continental masses.
When did Africa and South America separate?
About 180 million years ago Gondwana was starting to break into the separate continents we have today (see the diagrams below). By 140 million years ago , at the start of the Cretaceous period, Africa/South America split from Australasia/India/Antarctica.
How are Latin America and South America different?
Latin America is a cultural entity commonly defined as a group of countries in the Americas where one of the Latin-based languages are spoken. ... South America is the southern part of the American continent where countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Chile can be found.
What is South America known for?
South America is a continent of extremes. It is home to the world’s largest river (the Amazon) as well as the world’s driest place (the Atacama Desert). having to do with mountains. high plateau in the Andes Mountains of South America.
Are South Africa and Africa different?
Though Africa is unequivocally regarded as the birth place of humans, South Africa is one country in the continent of Africa that is believed to be a cradle of human civilization with evidences of human existence as early as 170000 years ago.
How do scientists explain the existence of fossils of the same plants?
Scientists have noticed that similar plants and animals have left fossils on land masses separated by large oceans . Exactly the same animal or plant can’t have evolved on different continents. ... Eventually, some scientists came up with a theory called Plate Tectonics.
Which of the following is an example of fossils found in South America and Africa?
For example, fossils of ancient reptiles called Cynognathus and Mesosaurus have been found on South America and Africa.
How do plants and animals become fossils?
Fossils are formed in a number of different ways, but most are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and is buried in mud and silt . Soft tissues quickly decompose leaving the hard bones or shells behind. Over time sediment builds over the top and hardens into rock.
