is it true that continents are moving away from each other?
89723
Some are moving away from each other (i.e. their separation is increasing), such as Africa and South America. Some are moving closer together, like North America and Asia. Some places continents or pieces of continents are moving past each other, like in the Pacific Northwest, or in the Afar Triangle in Somalia. Some places are expanding, like Iceland. \n\nThere are lots of ways to measure this, but the first clue that something was going on came from looking at the shapes of coastlines. Look at the coastlines of western Africa and eastern South America. They look like they could fit together, like a puzzle. The rocks match each other on both continents too, as if the two continents were once fit together. \n\nHowever, the big clue that something was going on came from magnetic stripes on the sea floor. As new basalt forms in the middle of the Atlantic, and some other oceans, it pushes out from the central mid-ocean ridge, and cools. When it cools, it sets, taking on a magnetization aligned with the magnetic field of the earth at that moment. However, the earth's magnetic field flips every few thousand years (just like the Sun's does, every 11.5 years or so). This creates a record of magnetic stripes on the sea floor that alternate polarity. When the scientists Vine and Mathews saw this, they knew they had proved that plate tectonics existed, and that the continents were moving (sometimes away from each other, and sometimes towards each other or past each other)
709010
There are 7 continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Austrailia, and Antarctica.
455854
Yes, the moon is moving away at a rate of 3.8 centimetres per year. This was discovered by lunar laser ranging. Don't worry though, it's practically nothing.
153621
No, based on the fossil record there is as yet no evidence of this. \n\nThere have been hundreds of these reversals in the history of the planet, not just a few.  In addition to that there are even more frequent major 'excursions' where the field changes strength. These take place as frequently as 50,000 year intervals. These excursions are quite useful in dating geologic events as they are preserved in the rock record. By combining high resolution (frequent) excursion measurements with isotopic dating of volcanic ash deposits that are less frequent many events can be dated with some precision. \n\nIt appears that most animals and birds which use magnetic fields to navigate during migration are able to adapt over the thousands of years it takes for the reversals to take place. Since the change in the magnetic field is so small for each generation of a species it appears there is no significant impact.  \n\nI've done paleomagnetic dating in areas like the Great Rift Basin of Africa.
725001
The Earth's crust is made of plates.\nThe plates move, like ice floating on a lake.\nConvergant means comming together.  When plates move toward each other, they collide.\nDivergant means moving apart.  When plates moves apart they form a trench at the boundry.\n\ntransform boundary (also known as slip boundary) is said to occur when tectonic plates slide and grind sideways against each other.
829953
Probably most people believe in it, but it has its skeptics, too.  After all, just because the continents SEEM to fit together, that hardly means they DID.  Anyone who reads a murder mystery can tell you that appearance is not the same as reality.\n\nThere is fairly interesting animation done by Neal Adams, for example, demonstrating how a large mass of continents on one side of the planet would throw off the axial spin and redistribute the oceans until Pangea was swamped and a new island was formed on the other side of the planet (link 1).  Though I'm awfully skeptical of the remainder of Adams' ideas, his criticism of the existing model seems to be a valid one.\n\nAs for me, I'm keeping an open mind.  I haven't seen too many compelling reasons why there MUST have been a Pangea, nor having I seen too many why there could not possibly have been one.  I suppose we'll just have to see.
553136
I dont think the early map makers were the ones thinking the continents moved.. \n\nI think it was geologists who discovered the tectonic plates and how the earth's crust is moving, then they analyze ancient rocks from two continents and compare them, if they are the same then they must come from the same continent
732902
There are definitely more mountain ranges than continents.  Think of it this way, there can be several mountain ranges on each continent.  In North America alone, I can count three.
207799
Probably both of the above answers combined -- but most importantly, the ability to make a sophisticated and accurate map of the entire world.  If you look at the shapes the continents make you'll see that they fit together almost like a jigsaw puzzle, so it became apparently to anyone who looked carefully that perhaps at one time far in the past, they were all one continent.\n\nThough in fact India broke off from one of the other continents and moved and is currently slamming into Asia -- thus, Himalayas.  :)
109251
plate tectonics provides an explanation for the continental drift hypothesis.
455117
Sea floor spreading is the driving force behind continental drift as it forces the crust apart.  The hot mantle rises to the surface weakening the crust until it splits and moves apart to allow the new material to form.  This rifting creates new oceanic basaltic crust rather than granitic continental crust so the continents stay roughly the same. \n\nHowever, rifting does occur within continents and eventually will split a continent, as is happening in the Red Sea today, the East African Rift being a failed offshoot of that rift system.\n\nAll this happens slowly at a rate of about 11cm a centuary and if you want to see an active spreading ridge take a trip to Iceland where the Mid Atlantic ridge is on surface.  Don't worry it is perfectly safe and you won't end up on the wrong side.
586198
There is few hints like same geology at diferernt geografic points related to the same period; \nSame fauna indicating same region or at leastthey migrated through some kind of bridge;\nObvious fit about the continents. \nWhat cause it is the tectonic movement. Dorsals have separated it and we still in movement there is measure about hom many inches we are far from Europe/AFrica and also to other continents. (Also Heigh of montains are changind)
769860
no... because i know, before my class even started the topic of year 9 geology (i think the topic is called "Reading the Earth") - and i'm in year 9, i think this is form two for other countries and can be also known as grade 9), i know that the mountain ranges in the asian area was cause by plate tectonics crashing into each other - and through the topic i'm studying right now, I learnt that the type of boundary that is between the plates is called the collosion boundary where two plates of similar thickness collide creating mountain ranges as the ground is pushed upwards and downwards.
164797
this is a vague queston. But I believe i know what you are asking. Well He already believed that Pangea had formed and broken apart. Evidence from Glacial Striations and rock formations, not to mension an almost perfect mactch of shorelines. I guess it would have more support for his theory. He concluded that the continents were moving. What he could not prove was the mechinism for the movement. it is not actually the continents moving. They are hitching a ride on the techtonic plates.
931762
To be tecchnically accurate the largest Continent (single land mass with a continental shelf) is Eur-asia, since Europe and Aiusa are conjoined  it is only geo-politically accurate to refer to them as separate continents. They are in fact one land mass and therefore the largest continent.
1011772
continents - yes\n\ncountries - no
475416
Nope; the oceanic plates are spreading apart, as new material (magma) is pushed up from below.  They are not crashing together at all.