Why did Sir Edward Bullard's 1960's fit of the 900 m bathymetric contour show some areas of overlap between South America and Africa ?
A)Inaccurate bathymetry was all that was available to him prior to our modern multibeam sonar techniques.
B)Large volumes of sediment have accumulated in the deltas and fans from the Congo, Amazon, Parana, and Rio de Plata rivers to outbuild the continental shelves and slopes.
C)Massive erosion has modified the entire coastlines since 200 Ma so it is a wonder they still fit so well.
D)The work was actually done by a graduate student and Bullard never checked the details before he published it.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Large volumes of sediment have accumulated in the deltas and fans from the Congo, Amazon, Parana, and Rio de Plata rivers to outbuild the continental shelves and slopes. This causes some areas of overlap between South America and Africa in the bathymetric contour, as the sediment masks the true shape of the continental margins.

Why Did Sir Edward Bullard's 1960's Fit of the 900