Final answer:
The Atlantic Ocean began to exist about 200 million years ago when Pangea started to break apart. The spreading rate of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be calculated using the distance between the easternmost tip of South America and the inside curve of western Africa. The total area of new ocean floor created in the Atlantic each century is approximately 25 square kilometers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Atlantic Ocean began to exist as a result of the formation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which occurred about 200 million years ago when the supercontinent Pangea started to break apart.
The spreading rate of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge can be calculated by measuring the distance from the easternmost tip of South America to the inside curve of western Africa, which is approximately 5,000 kilometers. If Europe and North America are moving apart by about 5 meters per century, the total area of new ocean floor created in the Atlantic each century would be 5000 km * 0.005 km = 25 square kilometers.