Was Wegener Wrong?

Tectonic Plates, Continental Drift and
The Symmetry of the Continents

Charles William Johnson

Alfred Wegener suggested that South America and Africa were once joined together.

Wegener proposed the existence of a proto-continent, which he called, Pangaea. That supposedly occurred over 200 million years ago. The proto-continent broke up and the continents, that we see today, wandered across the face of the Earth to where they now relatively drift.

Were the above to be the case, one would not suspect these two continents to share any symmetrical characteristics in their make-up, other than along the dividing line. In fact, one might expect them to represent two halves of a whole. And, if any translation symmetry in their configuration were to be found, then, we might be able to suggest a distinct interpretation to that offered by Wegener.

The meandering ways of the continents suggest a random-like configuration. It is difficult to believe that the continents traveled over 5000 kilometers on the face of the Earth, and still retain their nearly original shape. We examine the translation symmetry.

In order to find the translations symmetry between South America and Africa, one must not merely examine the visible outline above water. One must examine their underwater, continental-shelf structures. At that level of comparison, all kinds of symmetries appear. The northwestern tips of both continents coincide; the eastern rim of South America coincides with the line marked by the Nile River of Africa; and, the southeastern tips of both continents reflect a correspondence at the level of their shelves.

Add to that factors like the Earth's ecliptic, the prime meridian, and the equator, and we begin a distinct view of the energies in and about the Earth that configured the continents and the tectonic plates.