Scientists have illustrated the dramatic movement of entire continents over long periods of time.
The appearance of the Earth has changed significantly over its 4.5 billion year history, as evidenced by the movement of tectonic plates. According to Uniladgeologists have used sophisticated models to track how the planet’s landmasses have shifted and evolved.
Researchers are constantly trying to understand the enormous forces that shaped the continents we know today. Given the constant state of change on Earth, this is no easy task.
A recently released video shows our current understanding of tectonic shifts over the past 1.8 billion years. The enormous effort and data required to accurately visualize these movements reflects decades of research.
This video model accompanies a research paper published in the November issue of Geoscience Frontiers.
It starts with a familiar map of the Earth and then rewinds to about 200 million years ago, when all the continents were united as the supercontinent Pangea. From there, it illustrates the dynamic journey of landmasses as they roam the globe.
To create the model, scientists relied on previously published maps, geological data on tectonic basins, volcanic activity and evidence from mountain building processes.
