Page 69 - Global Tectonics

56 CHAPTER 3

Figure 3.2 Fit of the continents around the Atlantic Ocean, obtained by matching the 500 fathom (920 m) isobath
(redrawn from Bullard et al., 1965, with permission from the Royal Society of London).

3.2.3 The reconstruction of side of the Atlantic (Fig. 3.2). This was accomplished by
sequentially fitting pairs of continents after determining

continents around the Atlantic their best fitting poles of rotation by the procedure

described in Section 3.2.2. The only rotation involving
The first mathematical reassembly of continents based parts of the same landmass is that of the Iberian penin-

solely on geometric criteria was performed by Bullard sular with respect to the rest of Europe. This is justifi ed
et al. (1965), who fitted together the continents on either because of the known presence of oceanic lithosphere