Continental Plates

Approximate Elapsed Time: 240 million years (7,700 trillion seconds)

All the continents of the world were once one large continent called Pangaea. Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, Pangaea became six landforms - the continents of today. Approximately 180 million years ago, Pangaea split into two large land massesÐone containing India, Australia, Africa and South America, and the other containing North America, Europe and Asia. At the same time the Atlantic Ocean formed. As the continental plates continued to move, the two land masses broke apart and recombined to produce the continents as we know them today. This movement of the continents is caused by movement of molten rock deep beneath the planet surface. Fissures in the planet surface, most often in the middle of an ocean, spread out and push the continents apart.

How This Clip Was Made:

This animation was created from a series of still images based on what scientists estimate to be the location of the continental plates. These stills were then combined to form a continuous animation. Images provided by: David Rowley, Paul Markwick, University of Chicago. Post-Production: Bob Hone.

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