Continental Shapes

Scholars have commented for centuries on how conveniently the boundaries of South America fit with Africa, hinting that they were once joined and separated by continental drift. When examining the sea floor around a land mass we can get a mapping out of the continental shelf, which shows us the land that water has since covered, giving the continent a true boundary.

The coastline of land that we can see of a continent from above won't match with others, which is why finding out the continental shelf of land masses is essential in analyzing the shapes of continents in relation to each other.

With the continental shelf of every land mass examined, a jig-saw fit is apparent with many continents, providing strong evidence for the theory of continental drift.

This picture shows how Africa and South America, given the continental shelves, fit together like pieces of a jig saw puzzle.