What do you know about Pangea?
Pangea was a supercontinent that existed about 335-175 million years ago during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. The word "Pangea" comes from Ancient Greek, meaning "all lands." It was a result of the process of continental drift, where the Earth's continents slowly moved over time.
During the time of Pangea's existence, there were no current continents as we see today. Instead, all the Earth's landmasses were united as one large supercontinent. This massive landmass began to break apart and eventually formed the separate continents that exist today.
The theory of Pangea was proposed by German scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912, based on similarities in the geological formations and fossils found on different continents. He suggested that the continents had once been connected and gradually drifted apart. However, his theory was not widely accepted until later when more evidence supporting continental drift was discovered.
The breakup of Pangea led to the formation of the modern-day continents and the emergence of separate geological features like mountain ranges, coastlines, and ocean basins. It also significantly influenced the Earth's climate and the distribution of terrestrial plants and animals.
Pangea is considered a vital concept in the field of plate tectonics, helping scientists to understand the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates and the dynamic nature of our planet's geology.