why did africa stay where its at when pangea broke apart?

Question

pangea

Answer 1

It didn't if you look at a map of the world with the water removed you will see the Mid-Alantic Ridge where Africa and South America once joined each other. Both are slowly fleeing each other.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_Ridge
"The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mostly underwater mountain range of the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean that runs from 87°N (about 333 km South of the North Pole) to subantarctic Bouvet Island at 54°S. The highest peaks of this mountain range extend above the water mark, to form islands. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge forms part of the global mid-oceanic ridge system and, like all mid-oceanic ridges, is thought to result from a divergent boundary that separates tectonic plates: the North American Plate from the Eurasian Plate in the North Atlantic, and the South American Plate from the African Plate in the South Atlantic. These plates are still moving apart, so the Atlantic is growing at the ridge, at a rate of about 5–10 centimeters per year in East-West direction."

These islands didn't move that much and are located along the Mid-Alantic Ridge:
Northern Hemisphere (North Atlantic Ridge):

Jan Mayen (Beerenberg, 2277 m, at 71°06'N, 08°12'W), in the Arctic Ocean
Iceland (Hvannadalshnúkur in the Vatnajökull, 2109.6 m, at 64°01'N, 16°41'W), which the ridge runs through
Azores (Ponta do Pico or Pico Alto, on Pico Island, 2351 m, at 38°28′0″N, 28°24′0″W)
Bermuda (Town Hill, on Main Island, 76 m, at 32°18′N, 64°47′W) (Bermuda was formed on the ridge, but is now considerably west of it)
Saint Peter and Paul Rocks (Southwest Rock, 22.5 m, at 00°55′08″N, 29°20′35″W)
Southern Hemisphere (South Atlantic Ridge):

Ascension Island (The Peak, Green Mountain, 859 m, at 07°59'S, 14°25'W)
Tristan da Cunha (Queen Mary's Peak, 2062 m, at 37°05'S, 12°17'W)
Gough Island (Edinburgh Peak, 909 m, at 40°20'S, 10°00'W)
Bouvet Island (Olavtoppen, 780 m, at 54°24'S, 03°21'E)

Answer 2

No, it is extremely no longer likely yet no longer impossible. in the event that they did, it would probably be in a distinctive formation. Pangea broke aside because of the tectonic plates (large chunks of the earth's floor) moved faraway from one yet another. those tectonic movements are increeeeedibly slow (basically a centimeter or 2 a 12 months) yet can nonetheless reason earthquakes and volcanoes.

Answer 3

Are you sure it's not moving? Nothing ever stays where it is. Africa is probably moving right now...you know, with the whole idea about tetonic plates and water currents that sort of shift the continent...

Answer 4

It didn't stay it is moving constantly. The issue you are speaking of is on the animation of the break apart africa is just the central reference point.

Answer 5

Africa was in the center and still is

Answer 6

I'm pretty sure it just looks that way when they illustrate it because they have to use one area as the "starting" point. I'm thinking it's moving all the time, as is every other continent. =)

Answer 7

It did? Why is there a Rift Valley? Something is going on.

Answer 8

huh?