A map of "Pangaea" the time when all the continents were one land mass (click to enlarge)

When Earth first formed the distribution of land and water was very different than it is today. Each of the world's continents lie on tectonic plate,

A map of the tectonic plates (click for full sized image)

like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. These plates float atop a giant ocean of magma and "drift" slowly in response to flows of this magma. Drifts speeds are millimeters to centimeters per year, but Over millions of years, the continents shift significantly relative to one another. About 225 million years ago, all of the continents were actually connected in a single landmass called Pangaea. Follow these links to learn more about plate tectonics, and to see a future configuration of the continents.

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