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Wegener-Continental Drift
This animation presents a view of the continents at
the level of map precision available to Alfred
Wegener, who proposed that the continents once
existed as a vast supercontinent, Pangea, that later
fragmented. Test the fit of the continents for yourself
by clicking and dragging a continent to a new
location; then, using the arrow keys on your
keyboard, rotate the continent into position.
PC version
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Mac version
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Bullard Fit of Continents
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The Bullard fit animation of Continental Drift
includes the continental shelves and shows how
Africa, South America, Europe and North America
may have once fit together.
PC version
Mac version
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Sea Floor Spreading
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This animation shows progressive stages in the
opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The youngest rocks
(in red) clearly outline the mid-ocean ridge system,
complete with transform faults. The oldest ocean
crust (in blue), is confined to offshore regions
adjacent to the United States, Canada and western
Africa. This distribution demonstrates that the North
Atlantic began to open before the South Atlantic.
PC version
Mac version
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Magnetic Reversals
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The polarity of Earth's magnetic field reverses with
time. The main figure demonstrates how sea-floor
anomalies, also known as magnetic stripes, develop
during sea-floor spreading. The inset image records
the reversal of Earth's dipole.
PC version
Mac version
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Zoomable Art
PC Mac
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