The geological record of the movement of Earth’s “tectonic plates” is preserved in the magnetic orientation of old rocks found in the interior of these tectonic plates. As these rocks form, the magnetic orientation of their magnetic minerals aligns in a direction that depends on their position with the Earth’s magnetic field. As the tectonic plates move and their position with the Earth’s magnetic poles shift, the magnetic orientation of the new, younger rocks changes accordingly. By tracking these changes in the magnetic orientation, apparent polar wander paths or APWPs can be generated, which gives a picture of the continent’s position or the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates at different geological time scales.
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Source: Phys.org