Before Pangea — What? — science newsSeptember 30, 1972

The continents as we know them arose when the primordial continent Pangea split apart and the fragments made the long, slow journey to their present location. This process took about 200 million years. However, the Earth’s crust is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. [Scientists are exploring] A thorny issue of what happened billions of years before Pangea fell apart.

update

The continents have an on-again, off-again relationship that existed long before Pangea, fossil and rock evidence show. Most scientists agree that the oldest supercontinent called Nuna formed about 1.5 billion years ago. About 1 billion years ago, they fell apart and reunited as the supercontinent Rodinia. A third supercontinent called Pannotia may have formed near Antarctica about 600 million years ago, but its existence is debated. Today, scientists are predicting how continents will merge in the future. A supercontinent called Amasia could form 250 million years from now as the continent moves toward the North Pole (SN: 1/21/17, p. 18).

Questions or comments about this article? Email us at feedback@sciencenews.org.