How many believe in Pangaea?

Question

The earth's continents was once believed to be all connected. What do you think?

Answer 1

The scientific evidence is pretty good. There is the movement of the different crustal plates which shows that the continents are constantly moving and once where in a single continent called Pangaea. Plus, the sameness of the mineralogy and the fossils among the continents shows they were all together at a point 225 million years ago. So I'm a believer.

Answer 2

Pangaea is only the latest of several cycles of super-continents. At around 4.6 billion years old, the Earth has been around for a long time, and has gone through many changes.

Continental drift explains why the various continents are located where they are now. Other evidence includes similar mineral/rock formations that are currently widely separated, but were close neighbors at one time. The Pangaea theory also goes a long way towards explaining the patterns of life spreading throughout the world, with the rates of diversification of species providing additional evidence of the time-lines.

The time-line for the breakup is fairly recent, as things go. We are only talking about a supercontinent that existed from around 300 million years ago, to the time of the breakup, around 180 million years ago.

Answer 3

I think it is very feasible- as we can see how, continentally, with the Earth's tectonic plates, all of the pieces fit together as Pangaea was ideally drawn to scale. Also, if you follow the lines of vegetation and travel of fauna, one can see how it is also logically connected. Having taken many environmental courses, I've had many convincing discussions on the probability of Pangaea- and I, for one, believe that it is very plausible, and, realistic.

Answer 4

There's no place like Pangaea... There's no place like Pangaea... There's no place like Pangaea... (Clicks heels together 3 times...)

Yes, I believe it existed. The scientific evidence is extremely compelling, both the historic stuff, and current observations (via GPS, lasers, etc.) Plate tectonics also explains so many current observations such as major earthquakes around plate boundaries and especially subduction zones (Indonesia, Alaska, Japan, Pacific NW, etc) as well as volcanoes in the same areas.

Answer 5

Wow...you got some good responses here.

I'm impressed (and I'm a geologist).

Just FYI, before Pangaea there was another arrangement of land masses in an even older super-continent called: Rodinia.

Cool, huh?

Answer 6

I'd say the proof is pretty sound. Look at a map. Can you explain why some of the base rock on different continents is the same where it is theoretically connected? Some is even magnetically aligned the same way.

Answer 7

Do I "BELIEVE" in Pangaea?
No. Why would I need to "believe" in a past landmass? It's a bit like "believing" in tables, isn't it? Or river dolphins. Or the idea of "yesterday" for that matter.

I've number of physical geography and biogeography books in my room here which provide fairly conclusive evidence for it's existence.

If you feel you have to actively "believe" in the existence of physical things, I think you are perhaps going at this the wrong way.

Answer 8

i do. based on multiple scientific evidences, such as:
continental drift
rock sediments
how the continents seem to fit into each other
animals
etc.
there is too much evidence to say that pangea exsisted that i can't not believe it never existed!

Answer 9

If you run the continental drift, i.e. plate tectonic, film backward you wind up with one super continent.

Answer 10

plate movements are well documented. You can find data on any area of the world. What does belief have to do with this?