Assume the world is 30, 000 years old. On average tectonic plates move 4 inches per year. This means that since the beginning of time the plates have shifted around 10, 000 feet, a little less then two miles. Obviously, this poses a problem for the idea of a Pangea.
Challenge: Explain
1. Coal deposits in Antarctica showing fossils of tropical plants. Tectonics explains this since that land was at one point nearer to the equator at a latitude that allowed for such growth. Growth of these plants at the latitude of Antarctica is nearly impossible.
2. Continental ice sheets- glacial striations on rocks show that glaciers moved from south America towards the Atlantic ocean and from the Atlantic ocean towards Africa. Since it is highly unlikely that glaciers swim, how is this gap explainable if the continents were not joined at some point?
3. Identical fossil species along the South American and African shores, both on the Atlantic side. Fossils from these species are not found in north America, Asia, or the western side of Africa.
Challenge: Explain
1. Coal deposits in Antarctica showing fossils of tropical plants. Tectonics explains this since that land was at one point nearer to the equator at a latitude that allowed for such growth. Growth of these plants at the latitude of Antarctica is nearly impossible.
2. Continental ice sheets- glacial striations on rocks show that glaciers moved from south America towards the Atlantic ocean and from the Atlantic ocean towards Africa. Since it is highly unlikely that glaciers swim, how is this gap explainable if the continents were not joined at some point?
3. Identical fossil species along the South American and African shores, both on the Atlantic side. Fossils from these species are not found in north America, Asia, or the western side of Africa.