Final answer:
Continental rifting at the mid-Atlantic Rift creates new ocean floor as Europe and North America drift apart. Approximately 25 square kilometers of new ocean floor is added to the Atlantic every century, balancing with crust consumed at subduction zones.
Step-by-step explanation:
When continents drift apart, a process known as continental rifting occurs, which is an aspect of plate tectonics. During this process, as Europe and North America move apart by about 5 meters per century, new ocean floor is created along the mid-Atlantic Rift. Given that the rift is 5000 km long, we can calculate the total area of new ocean floor created each century.
As the new crust is formed at these rift zones, older crust is consumed at subduction zones, where oceanic plates are forced into the mantle. These zones help balance the formation and destruction of the Earth's crust. Notably, the Recôncavo basin in Brazil is a historical example of continental rifting between South America and Africa, displaying different stages of this geological process.