In what order did the Atlantic Ocean form starting from the supercontinent?

The formation of the Atlantic Ocean began with the process known as rifting, where the once-unified supercontinent Pangaea split apart due to tectonic activity. Initially, the continental crust began to stretch, leading to rifting, which created fractures in the crust. Following this, these rifts developed into a narrow basin as the land began to separate and subside.

As the rift continued to widen, it transformed into a broader ocean basin, eventually leading to the full formation of the Atlantic Ocean as we know it today. The sequence of uplift, followed by stretching and rifting, then leading to a narrow basin and subsequently widening, accurately describes the geological processes involved in the ocean's formation. Each step reflects a critical phase in the transformation of geological features over millions of years.

Understanding the sequence of these geological events is important, as it reflects how the movement of tectonic plates contributes to ocean formation. Other options do not follow the logical geological sequence of events or misrepresent the phases in which each process occurred.