Scientists have gathered plenty of evidence that shows the continents move over time. For example, the shape of the continents and their fit was determined by Sir Edward Bullard in 1965. He did not site the usual continental shapes we see, but he measured the “real” edge of the continents: the continental slope, an area that shows a much better fit at the 6,560 foot (2,000 meter) depth contour than at the shorelines of continents.

Other scientists matched the continental geology on either side of an ocean. For example, the mountain belts of the Appalachians and the Caledonides are relatively similar geologically, as are the sedimentary basins of South Africa and Argentina. Another way to prove that continents move over time includes paleontology, in which similarities or differences of fossils on certain continents indicate a match. For example, there are similar Mesozoic Era reptiles in North America and Europe, a time when scientists believe those two continents were joined together; similar Carboniferous and Permian flora and fauna are found in South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. In contrast—no doubt after the continents were well separated—there is a wide diversity of organisms in the Cenozoic Era.