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Questions and Answers
What is Pangaea?
What was the result of the merging of modern-day continents into a large supercontinent?
Who observed how Earth's continents appeared to fit together like a puzzle?
What did Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift explain?
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When did the supercontinent Pangaea start to break up?
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What caused the formation of Pangaea?
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Approximately when did Laurasia and Gondwana split apart?
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What was the sea that formed between Laurasia and Gondwana?
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When did South America and Africa drift apart, creating the Atlantic Ocean?
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What is one evidence of Pangaea's existence mentioned in the text?
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Study Notes
- The continent of Pangaea, meaning "all the Earth," was broken up into two supercontinents: Laurasia and Gondwana.
- Laurasia consisted of North America and most of Europe, while Gondwana included South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and Indo-Pakistan.
- The sea that formed between Laurasia and Gondwana was the Tethys Sea.
- Continental drift, a part of plate tectonics, was the cause of Pangaea's formation.
- The supercontinent existed approximately 280-230 million years ago.
- Pangaea began to break up around 200 million years ago due to seafloor spreading.
- Laurasia and Gondwana separated, forming the Tethys Sea in between.
- During the Jurassic period, Gondwana started to fracture and eventually split into Africa, Australia, South America, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula.
- South America and Africa drifted apart around 140 million years ago, creating the Atlantic Ocean.
- Australia and Antarctica separated 45 million years ago, and Madagascar broke away from India and moved away from both.
- Laurasia split into North America, Europe, and Asia around 66-30 million years ago.
- The continents are still moving today, with some moving apart and others coming together.
- Evidence of Pangaea's existence includes fossil distribution, seemingly complementary coastlines, and rock strata patterns that match across continents.
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Description
Explore the history and formation of Pangaea, the supercontinent that existed approximately 280 - 230 million years ago during the late Paleozoic and late Triassic era. Discover how the modern-day continents once formed a large, singular landmass and learn about the Panthalassa ocean surrounding this supercontinent.
