Over time, the dinosaurs went extinct and that mighty supercontinent fractured, causing Mauritia to drown beneath the waves. But the newly discovered continent is more than just collateral damage. That rhythm will continue to bring the next supercontinent into view hundreds of millions of years from now in a world that will look almost alien to our own.
Consider fossils of the lizard-like animal Lystrosaurus , which have been found in South Africa, India, and Antarctica. Or the extinct seed fern Glossopteris , which once thrived in the polar circle and the tropics. Such oddities made sense only if the continents were once nuzzled up next to each other as parts of Pangea.
Look at an atlas and it might be tempting to slide the Americas eastward, hooking them into Africa like three puzzle pieces. Scientists now know the c-shaped supercontinent consisted of two smaller continents that collided at the equator: Laurasia in the Northern Hemisphere, which encompassed North America, Greenland, Europe and much of Asia, and Gondwanaland in the Southern Hemisphere, which was composed of South America, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica.
During the Triassic period some million years ago, earthquakes began to rock the spot where New Jersey nestled against Morocco. Volcanic eruptions spewed huge amounts of lava and gas.
As a result, the region literally began to pull itself apart. Just as the toffee might droop, the continental crust formed valleys so deep that ocean water rushed in. The region continued to spread and the Atlantic Ocean was formed. Researchers in Indonesia are breeding a species of mosquito that carries a type of bacteria that prevents viruses like dengue from growing inside them.
I accept. Global Agenda Science Future of the Environment Watch how today's continents were formed over one billion years - in just 40 seconds. Carmen Ang Reporter, Visual Capitalist. Take action on UpLink. Forum in focus. The one essential element needed to accelerate action on climate change. Read more about this project. Explore context. Explore the latest strategic trends, research and analysis.
The video below shows how this happened over one billion years. The emergence of plate tectonic theory. Have you read? Kenorland : 2. Rodinia : — million years ago. Also called lithospheric plate. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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You cannot download interactives. These tectonic plates rest upon the convecting mantle, which causes them to move. The movements of these plates can account for noticeable geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and more subtle yet sublime events, like the building of mountains.
Teach your students about plate tectonics using these classroom resources. The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized the earth sciences by explaining how the movement of geologic plates causes mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. According to the new model, the continents split completely some million years ago. The scientists say their findings help to explain plate motions that were previously baffling experts.
In part that's due to new data becoming available in recent years that tells us more than ever before about these ancient rock movements. The team pored over masses of this updated data, covering thousands of kilometres of land, to identify continental stretch points, before building a computer model to match.
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