Oct 2, 2007 11:49 AM

The Return of Pangea

Ever thought it would be pretty cool if the continents were still part of one giant landmass? Well, give ’em another 250 million years or so, and you’ll get your wish. As shown in this animation from Chris Scotese’s PALEOMAP Project, geologists predict that "Africa will collide with southern Europe, closing the Mediterranean, that Australia […]

Ever thought it would be pretty cool if the continents were still part of one giant landmass? Well, give 'em another 250 million years or so, and you'll get your wish.

As shown in this animation from Chris Scotese's PALEOMAP Project, geologists predict that "Africa will collide with southern Europe, closing the Mediterranean, that Australia will collide with S.E. Asia and China, and California will slide northward along the west coast."

Subduction [tectonic plate convergence] is now beginning in the Central
Indian Ocean, and it seems likely that new subduction zones will form off the east coast of the Americas. (Subduction has already begun in the Puerto Rican trench and Scotia arc.) If this happens, then
Antarctica will be drawn northward towards India, and the Atlantic will close forming a new ring-shaped Pangea.

Pretty awesome, huh? And if humanity is still around in 250 million years, maybe we'll be powerful enough to push that laggardly
Antarctic-Australian landmass up into the rest of the world -- just to make it all, you know, nice and tidy and even! No loose ends!

The Assembly of Pangea Ultima [PALEOMAP Project]
*
Thanks, Astronomy Picture of the Day!*

Brandon is a Wired Science reporter and freelance journalist. Based in Brooklyn, New York and Bangor, Maine, he's fascinated with science, culture, history and nature.

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