Pangea Hypothesis

It is unclear why this is happening and research is currently taking place. There have been many hypotheses formed, one suggests that the plate boundary might be shifting towards the east and away from the San Andreas fault. (LiveScience) If you refer to Ch.7 page 228 in the textbook Earth Science, figure 7.25 illustrates where Earths landmasses may be 50 million years from now if present plate movements persist during this time

The plate tectonics theory was made by a German named Alfred Wegener. He stated that a single continent existed about 300 million years ago named Pangaea and that it split into two continents of Laurasia in the north and Gondwanaland in the south. Today’s continents were formed by further splitting of the two masses.

Have you ever thought of the idea that the continents were once connected? Scientists believe that around 300 million years ago the seven continents we know today were once connected to each other to form one massive continent called Pangea. There is a lot of evidence that supports this idea. First of all, some continents have coastlines that would fit together like puzzle pieces. Secondly, there have been almost identical fossils found on different continents separated by miles of ocean. Lastly, similar glacier deposits are on four different continents.

The theory of plate tectonics was first developed by Alfred Wegener. He concluded that the continents seem to have a similar shape and could potentially fit together. This suggested that they were at one time joined together as part of 2 super continents called Gondwanaland and Laurasia was in the north. This theory was said to be proven by the discovery of fossilised remains of a mesosaurus that were found on the coasts of Brazil and Gabon. Sea floor spreading is another theory that supports the idea of plate tectonics; this theory discovered that rock is being formed under the ocean as a new sea floor. Sea floor spreading was shown in the Atlantic, where it is believed the Eurasian and North American plates are moving apart on a

2. The theory of “Pangaea” exists suggesting that the continents were once nestled together into one mega-continent. The continents then spread out as drifting islands.

Continental drift by Alfred Wegner is the theory that “all land”, Pangaea, collided forming a single land mass, later drifting apart to form our world today. This theory, an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action, says that 300 million years ago the continents collided forming Pangaea. One million years later it began to separate, still moving today at an extremely slow rate. There are 5 proofs of continental drifts and two problems. The proofs are that the continents we have today fit almost perfectly together like a jigsaw puzzle. Also, similar fossils and mountain structures of similar age and structure can be found in areas not possible otherwise. There are also ice sheets in seemingly warmer countries. This

James Hutton was the first scientist to address the Earth was millions of years old, as well as alive and is continuously being formed. Charles Lyell popularized uniformitarianism, and believed the Earth was being shaped by slow moving forces. Alfred Wegener introduced the foundation for the theory of continental drift. Wegener was one of the first to recognize and have an understanding of how the Earth works which required data and information from earth sciences. In the 1960s, the theory for the continental drift became known as the theory of plate tectonics or plate building.

Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that attempts to explain the movements of the Earth's lithosphere that have formed the landscape features we see across the globe today” (Briney). Geology defines “plate” as a large slab of solid rock, and “tectonics” is part of the Greek root word for “to build.” Together the words define how the Earth’s surface is built up of moving plates. The theory of plate tectonics dictates that individual plates, broken down into large and small sections of rock, form Earth’s lithosphere. These fragmented bodies of rock move along each other atop the Earth’s liquid lower mantle to create the plate boundaries that have shaped Earth’s landscape. Plate tectonics originated from meteorologist Alfred Wegener’s theory, developed in the early 20th century. In 1912, he realized that the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa appeared to piece together like a jigsaw puzzle. He further examined the globe and deduced that all of Earth’s continents could somehow be assembled together and proposed the idea that the continents had once been linked in a single supercontinent called Pangaea. To explain today’s position of the continents, Wegener theorized that they began to drift apart approximately 300 million years ago. This theory

Plate tectonics move land masses around, and occasionally, interactions between different plates causes new land to form, and can even join two separate continents together, changing ocean currents and causing climate change. This is evident in the collision of the North and South American continents, which created the Isthmus of Panama, and separated the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 15 million years ago, the North and South American continent was cut off from each other by a seaway about 200 km wide. Over time, the South American plate collided with the Caribbean and Cocos plate, and gradually closed the exchange of the Caribbean and Pacific waters 3-4 million years ago. This resulted in several consequences.

The mechanism breakup proves that Pangea is real because each year The continents move 2.5 centimeters. that means over those three million years ago did moved how far they are today. That is a perfect explanation for how Far apart the continents are today. That's why I believe in the Pangea theory. And Pangea is also a good. Because Africa and South america can connect and it would be like one big landmass.

Shifts along the Eurasian and North American on the convergent boundary were thought to be the cause of the earthquake.

If a modern Pangea were to happen, the world would be different and it would affect many interactions. Objects in the world would be displaced. Other factors that might change may be the government, economies, societies and immigration. The relations between countries and continents would change as well. If all the continents were to collide into one supercontinent, things would have to change. These changes would be both positive and negative. Modern Pangea would be a very different place than it is today due to animals, transportation, and daily life.

Our planet is carrying so much secrets while it rotates its axis, and revolves around the sun in elliptic path. The biggest question man that ever faced is, why do living organisms have so much biodiversity since they all come from a common ancestor? In order to answer this question, we have to see the earth’s past life. Rodina is the first supercontinent in our whole geological time period, and the meaning of this word is “homeland” in Russian language. This Precambrian continent was the dominant land mass for at least 350 million years until it started to tear apart because of the heat beneath this

While researching what position the continents will be in 250 million years from now, I discovered that most studies support the theory that the continents will once again merge into a supercontinent. There are three main models that most are leaning toward, if this does in fact happen.

However, Wegener believed that only the continents were moving and they plowed through the rocks of the ocean basins. (Colliers Encyclopedia, 1996) Harold Jeffreys then argued that it is impossible for continents to break through solid rock without breaking apart. (USGS, 2012) Wegener also claimed that the centrifugal force of the spinning planet had forced the continents sideways, parallel to the equator; tidal pull from the sun and moon had caused lateral movement. (Sant, Joseph, 2012) His orders of magnitude were too weak. Thus, his theory was dismissed. (Lois Van Wagner, 2013)