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"the South Atlantic ocean, which resulted from the break up of South America and Africa around 138m years ago – ever noticed how their coastlines match like pie
by smoyer 9y ago
"the South Atlantic ocean, which resulted from the break up of South America and Africa around 138m years ago – ever noticed how their coastlines match like pieces of the same puzzle?"
No I had not but now that I look at it it's so obvious. And wow!
- blattimwind 9y agoAlfred Wegener noticed this about a hundred years ago and formulated that theory around this observation and some supporting evidence. However, until the 1950s and 1960s the why would they be moving? was wholly unanswered and Wegeners theories were not accepted until then.
- kzrdude 9y agoIt's remarkable how young that understanding is
- tboyd47 9y agoThey match, but only at a curvature slightly smaller than the Earth's curvature, spawning many theories about an expanding Earth in the early days of geology. Those theories have all now been debunked but they make for a fascinating read if you're into scientific rabbit holes.
- mirimir 9y agoAlso the North Atlantic, but less clearly. Also Greenland and northeastern Canada. And Greenland and Norway, I think.
- arethuza 9y agoOne related fact that I love is that the Congo and the Amazon used to be the same river - the Amazon reversing flow when the Andes rose up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_age https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_age