GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

TECTONICS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Based on the current position of the continents, in what general direction did South America drift away from Pangaea?
A
North
B
South
C
East
D
West
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Taken the current positions of the continents, the continent of South America drifted away from Pangea in west-northwest direction and came to its current position.

Detailed explanation-2: -Late in the Triassic Period (which lasted from approximately 251 million to 199.6 million years ago), Pangea fragmented, and the parts began to move away from one another. Westward drift of the Americas opened the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian block drifted across the Equator to merge with Asia.

Detailed explanation-3: -Answer and Explanation: The South American plate moves slightly westward each year, away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. Its movements are caused by convection of the hot, plastic rocks of the Earth’s mantle below the tectonic plate.

Detailed explanation-4: -Several of the tectonic plates are currently moving north, including both Africa and Australia. This drift is believed to be driven by anomalies left by Pangea, deep in the Earth’s interior, in the part called the mantle.

Detailed explanation-5: -Wegener suggested that perhaps the rotation of the Earth caused the continents to shift towards and apart from each other.

There is 1 question to complete.