Geography
Continents That Were Once Connected
Did you know that around 335 million years ago, most of the Earth’s landmasses were joined together in a supercontinent called Pangaea?
This massive land formation began to break apart about 175 million years ago, eventually giving rise to the seven continents we recognize today.
Pangaea’s breakup was driven by the movement of tectonic plates, which caused continents to drift over millions of years due to the forces of plate tectonics and mantle convection.
The fascinating concept of continental drift was first proposed by meteorologist Alfred Wegener in 1912, although the theory only gained widespread acceptance in the mid-20th century.
Understanding Pangaea not only explains the present geographical distribution of continents and oceans but also sheds light on the evolutionary paths of wildlife, revealing why similar plant and animal fossils are found on now distant continents.
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