eli5: continental drift and plate tectonics

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South America and Africa ‘fit together’ and were likely connected when they were part of Pangea.

How does this work, when there is a massive amount of ‘plate’ between them? South America is on the left of the South American Plate, and Africa is quite central on the African plate.

In: Planetary Science

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because all that plate didn’t use to exist. It emerged from the crust of the Earth, as molten material, as South America and Africa drifted apart, solidifying into new crust. The area where this happens is known as the Mid-Atlantic ridge and it is still spreading to this day at about 2.5 centimeters per year.

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