Have the continents ever formed one whole? Detailed answer

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Have the continents ever formed one whole? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

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Were the continents ever one?

Look at the world map. Now look at South America and Africa. Do you see the bulge in the outline of South America on the right where Brazil is, and the depression in the outline of Africa on the left? Don't you think that they can be put together, and one continent will come out of them? Well, 50 years ago, a German scientist named Alfred Wegener did just that. He wrote: "One who studies the opposite shores of the South Atlantic should be a little surprised by the similarity of the coastlines of Brazil and Africa. Each ledge from the side of Brazil corresponds to a depression of a similar shape from the side of Africa."

Wegener also learned that naturalists had studied the prehistoric plant and animal life of South America and Africa and found many similarities. This convinced him that the two continents were once one, and then parted. He formulated a theory that was called the theory of the movement of continents. According to this theory, land masses on Earth were once united into one whole continent, which had its own rivers, lakes, and inland seas. Then, for unknown reasons, this array began to break apart. South America broke away from Africa and went to the side. North America broke away from Western Europe and went west. This is how the continents as we know them today were formed.

Did everything really happen as Wegener suggested? We do not know. This is just a theory. But, as you can see on the map, there is some evidence for this. The study of prehistoric plants and animals also suggests that this is possible. In addition, the earth's crust is moving today. So maybe Wegener was right!

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What was Billy the Kid's name?

a) William G. Bonney.
b) Kid Antrim.
c) Henry McCarthy.
d) Shaggy Bill Roberts.

Billy the Kid - born Henry McCarthy from New York City. William G. Bonnie is just one of the aliases the famed mobster used when his death warrant was read to him.

Henry's mother, Katherine, was a New York native and a widow. In 1870, she moved with Henry and his brother Joe to the town of Wichita, Kansas. It was a wild place with cruel customs, the center of the cattle trade. In Wichita, according to one of the newspapers of the time, pistols were "as dark as brambles."

By November 1870, Wichita had 175 houses and about 800 people. Mrs. McCarthy was well known in town for the laundromat the woman ran on North Main Street. The family later moves to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Henry's mother marries a second time, William Antrim, a homesteader.

It is here, in the deserts of New Mexico, that Billy begins to trade in cattle rustling and becomes famous as a wonderful shooter and the greatest of bandits. In 1879, when the guy was already at least seventeen murders on his conscience, Lou Wallis, the governor of the New Mexico Territory (better known as the author of the novel "Ben Hur" - the best-selling American book of the XIX century), offers "Kid" Billy an amnesty.

At first, Billy decides to give up, but then changes his mind and escapes from prison. Sheriff "Pat" Garrett starts chasing Billy and in 1881 kills him during arrest. Before that, the famous bandit manages to send several letters to Wallis asking him to fulfill the promise of an amnesty. But they all remain unanswered.

Despite the execution of the death sentence, there were persistent rumors that the Kid survived. In 1903, Wallis's successor as governor of New Mexico orders the case to be reopened to find out if Kid is really dead and deserves a pardon. The investigation was never completed.

In 1950, Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" Buffalo Slayer show participant, known as "Shaggy" Bill Roberts, claimed on his deathbed that Billy the Kid was him.

It is believed that Billy the Kid is a real historical person. The most films in Hollywood history have been made about him - Billy the Kid appears in at least forty-six films.

Karta/Antrim/Bonnie became known as Billy the Kid only towards the end of the last year of his life. Until then, the famous bandit was simply called Kid (Kid).

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

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A pilot plant created by Polar Night Energy has already been in operation since 2022, but they are now planning to launch a commercial version of the “sand battery” in Finland for use during the cold polar nights.

Polar Night Energy's sand battery project represents a significant advance in energy supply, enabling the use of innovative technologies to efficiently heat cities in cold climates. Its environmental efficiency and long-term energy storage capabilities make it a promising solution to meet the energy challenges of the future.

As described by New Atlas, this innovative project consists of a huge steel bunker filled with sand or similar material, which is heated by a heat exchanger built into its heart. This makes it possible to use excess electricity from the grid, produced, for example, during periods of peak activity of renewable sources.

Such energy can be stored for months with minimal loss, ready to be used as needed. In Finland, the new sand battery will be tested in the district heating system of the municipality of Porninen, managed by the company Loviisan Lampo.

The sand battery is expected to measure 13 meters high and 15 meters wide and have a capacity of 1 MW with a capacity of up to 100 MWh. This, according to the company, will satisfy Porninen's weekly need for winter warmth or his monthly need in the hot summer. For comparison, the previous Polar Night sand battery model measures 4 by 7 meters, with a nominal power of 100 kW and a capacity of 8 MWh.

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