What is the difference between Pangea and Pangaea?

They are the same supercontinent — just two accepted English spellings. "Pangaea" is closer to the original Ancient Greek Pangaia (all + Earth), while "Pangea" is the simplified spelling more common in American English and modern scientific literature. Both are correct and used interchangeably.

What is the difference between Gondwana and Laurasia?

When Pangea began to break apart around 200 million years ago, it first split into two major landmasses. Gondwana comprised the southern continents — South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Laurasia comprised the northern landmasses — North America, Europe, and most of Asia. Both supercontinents then fragmented further into today's seven continents.

Where was my country when Pangea existed?

During Pangea's peak around 250 million years ago, most countries were parts of either Laurasia (north) or Gondwana (south). Use the country search on this map to highlight any nation and drag the slider back to watch it drift toward its ancient position. Notable examples: India was attached to East Africa, Australia was joined to Antarctica, and Scotland neighbored New York.

How do we know Pangea existed if no humans were alive to see it?

Multiple independent lines of evidence converge: matching fossils of identical species (like Glossopteris and Mesosaurus) found on continents now separated by oceans; the jigsaw-puzzle fit of continental coastlines, especially South America and Africa; matching rock formations and mountain chains that continue across continents; and paleomagnetic data frozen in ancient rocks that records the latitude at which they formed.

How fast do tectonic plates move?

Most plates move between 1 and 10 centimeters per year — roughly the speed your fingernails grow. The fastest recorded movement was the Indian plate, which raced northward at about 15 cm/year before colliding with Eurasia to form the Himalayas. The Atlantic Ocean widens by approximately 2.5 cm each year.

Will a new supercontinent form in the future?

Yes — geologists predict the continents will reassemble in roughly 200 to 250 million years. Proposed names include Pangea Proxima, Amasia, Novopangaea, and Aurica, depending on which tectonic model is used. The supercontinent cycle has repeated multiple times in Earth's 4.5-billion-year history.

What happened to life when Pangea broke apart?

The breakup created isolated continents that became separate evolutionary laboratories. Marsupials diversified in Australia, lemurs evolved on Madagascar, and unique species appeared across South America. New ocean basins and coastal habitats drove an explosion of marine biodiversity. The reorganization of ocean currents also fundamentally altered global climate patterns.

What time period does this interactive map cover?

This visualization spans 540 million years of Earth's history, from the early Cambrian period (when complex multicellular life was just emerging) through all geological periods — including the formation of Pangea in the Permian and its breakup in the Jurassic — all the way to the present-day configuration of continents.

Pangea Interactive Map — 540 Million Years of Continental Drift

What Is Pangea?

Around 335 million years ago, during the late Paleozoic era, nearly all of Earth's landmasses converged into a single supercontinent called Pangea — a name derived from Ancient Greek meaning "all lands." This colossal landmass was surrounded by a global ocean known as Panthalassa, which covered roughly 70% of the planet's surface. At its peak, Pangea stretched from pole to pole, creating a continuous expanse of land that profoundly shaped global climate, ocean circulation, and the evolution of life on Earth.

Pangea was not the first supercontinent. Earth's tectonic plates have assembled and broken apart in a repeating cycle — called the supercontinent cycle or Wilson cycle — roughly every 400 to 600 million years. Before Pangea, earlier supercontinents such as Rodinia (around 1.1 billion years ago) and Columbia/Nuna (around 1.8 billion years ago) formed and fragmented. Pangea is simply the most recent and best-studied example of this grand geological pattern.

Formation: How Pangea Came Together

Pangea's assembly was a gradual process spanning over 100 million years. It began with the collision of two large landmasses: Laurussia (comprising modern North America, Europe, and parts of Asia) and Gondwana (Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and India). Their collision created the Appalachian and Hercynian mountain ranges — remnants of which are still visible today in eastern North America and western Europe.

By the early Permian period, around 299 million years ago, assembly was essentially complete. The interior of Pangea was dominated by vast deserts, as moisture from the ocean could not penetrate deep inland. The Tethys Sea, a wedge-shaped body of water, separated the northern portion (Laurasia) from the southern portion (Gondwana) along what is now the Mediterranean region.

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The Breakup of Pangea

Around 200 million years ago, during the early Jurassic period, Pangea began to rift apart. Massive volcanic activity along what is now the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province signaled the beginning of the end. The supercontinent first split into two major landmasses — Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south — separated by the widening Tethys Sea.

By 150 million years ago, the South Atlantic began to open as South America pulled away from Africa. India broke free from East Africa and Madagascar, then drifted northward at the remarkable speed of roughly 15 centimeters per year — one of the fastest tectonic movements ever recorded. Around 50 million years ago, India collided with the Eurasian plate, thrusting up the Himalayas, which continue to rise several millimeters each year.

Australia separated from Antarctica around 45 million years ago, opening the Southern Ocean and establishing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current — a pivotal event that isolated Antarctica and triggered its glaciation. The continents continue to move today: the Atlantic widens about 2.5 cm per year, while the Pacific slowly shrinks as its oceanic crust subducts beneath surrounding plates.

Pangea's Legacy on Life and Climate

The existence and breakup of Pangea had profound consequences for life on Earth. When landmasses were joined, terrestrial animals could migrate freely across continents — which is why similar fossil species such as Lystrosaurus and Glossopteris flora are found on continents now separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean. These biogeographic patterns were among the earliest evidence supporting the theory of continental drift.

The breakup of Pangea created new ocean basins, shallow seas, and diverse coastal habitats, driving an explosion of marine biodiversity. Isolated continents became evolutionary laboratories: marsupials diversified in Australia, lemurs evolved in isolation on Madagascar, and unique ecosystems developed across South America before the formation of the Isthmus of Panama reconnected it to North America around 3 million years ago.

Climate was equally transformed. Pangea's interior experienced extreme continentality — scorching summers and frigid winters far from any moderating ocean influence. As the supercontinent fragmented, ocean currents reorganized, redistributing heat around the globe. The opening of ocean gateways like the Drake Passage fundamentally altered global thermohaline circulation and helped trigger the ice ages of the Cenozoic era.

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The Future: Pangea Proxima

The tectonic cycle has not stopped. Geologists project that in roughly 200 to 250 million years, the continents will reassemble into a new supercontinent — sometimes called Pangea Proxima, Amasia, or Novopangaea, depending on the model. One leading hypothesis suggests the Atlantic Ocean will eventually close, bringing the Americas back toward Europe and Africa, while the Pacific continues to shrink.

While the specifics remain debated, the underlying mechanism is well understood: Earth's mantle convection drives tectonic plates in a slow but relentless cycle of assembly, rifting, and reassembly. Our planet's surface is never truly still — it is always in motion, reshaping continents, oceans, and the conditions for life over hundreds of millions of years.

Where Was Your Country During Pangea?

The continents have not always occupied their present positions — and the country search above lets you trace any modern nation's ancient journey. Type a country name to highlight its borders on the map, then drag the timeline back through geological time to watch those borders drift toward their ancestral positions.

A few notable journeys: India was attached to East Africa over 140 million years ago before breaking free and racing northward at up to 15 cm per year — one of the fastest tectonic movements ever recorded — before colliding with Asia around 50 million years ago to raise the Himalayas. Australia only separated from Antarctica around 45 million years ago, explaining why its wildlife evolved in such remarkable isolation. Scotland and New York were once neighbors, separated only by the closing Iapetus Ocean. Saudi Arabia was part of Africa as recently as 30 million years ago, before the Red Sea began to rift open. Spain rotated nearly 35° counterclockwise as the Bay of Biscay opened during the Cretaceous.

Every country on Earth has a deep-time story. Use the map to find yours.

Earth Through the Geological Periods

The interactive map spans all twelve geological periods of the Phanerozoic Eon — the 541 million years during which complex animal life has existed on Earth. Each period saw dramatically different continental configurations, climates, and lifeforms. Click any period below to jump directly to that time on the map.

Cambrian 541–485 Ma: Continents were scattered near the equator following the breakup of the earlier supercontinent Gondwana. The "Cambrian Explosion" saw complex multicellular life emerge in shallow seas, but land remained entirely bare. Shallow epicontinental seas flooded most landmasses.
Ordovician 485–444 Ma: Gondwana dominated the southern hemisphere while the smaller continents Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia drifted separately near the tropics. A massive ice age at the period's end — with ice sheets extending to the equator — triggered one of Earth's five great mass extinctions.
Silurian 444–419 Ma: Laurentia and Baltica collided to form the ancient Caledonian Mountains — the deep roots of today's Scottish Highlands and Appalachians. The first vascular plants began colonizing land, transforming the terrestrial environment for the first time.
Devonian 419–359 Ma: Often called the "Age of Fishes," the Devonian saw Gondwana continue merging with northern landmasses. Dense forests spread across the land for the first time, and the first four-limbed vertebrates crawled ashore. A series of extinction pulses ended the period.
Carboniferous 359–299 Ma: The great collision of Laurussia and Gondwana built the vast Variscan and Hercynian mountain ranges. Dense tropical coal forests covered equatorial lowlands — the source of most of today's coal deposits. Pangea was assembling rapidly during this period.
Permian 299–252 Ma: Pangea reached its maximum extent, stretching from pole to pole. A vast interior desert dominated the supercontinent's core, far from any moderating ocean. The Permian ended with the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, wiping out ~96% of marine species.
Triassic 252–201 Ma: Pangea, still largely intact, began showing early signs of rifting. Rift valleys formed along what would become the Central Atlantic. Dinosaurs first appeared and diversified rapidly. The supercontinent's interior remained a vast, arid megadesert.
Jurassic 201–145 Ma: Pangea broke apart into Laurasia (north) and Gondwana (south). The Central Atlantic opened as North America pulled away from Africa. Dinosaurs dominated the land and diversified into iconic forms. The first birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs.
Cretaceous 145–66 Ma: The South Atlantic opened as South America separated from Africa. India raced northward at ~15 cm/yr. High sea levels created vast shallow seas across the continents. The period ended with the Chicxulub asteroid impact, extinguishing non-avian dinosaurs.
Paleogene 66–23 Ma: India collided with Asia around 50 Ma, thrusting up the Himalayas — which continue rising today. Australia separated from Antarctica, establishing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and triggering Antarctic glaciation. Mammals diversified rapidly.
Neogene 23–2.6 Ma: The Mediterranean Sea dried up temporarily in the Messinian Salinity Crisis (~6 Ma). The Isthmus of Panama formed around 3 Ma, connecting the Americas and triggering the Great American Biotic Interchange. Modern geography took its recognizable shape.
Quaternary 2.6 Ma–Present: Repeated glacial cycles reshaped the northern hemisphere; sea levels rose and fell by over 100 meters. Land bridges appeared and vanished. Homo sapiens emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago and spread across every continent.

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About This Map

This interactive visualization lets you travel through 540 million years of continental drift — from the scattered landmasses of the early Cambrian, through the formation and breakup of Pangea, all the way to the present day. Use the timeline slider to scrub through geological time, click on any period in the geological timescale bar, or press play to animate the entire sequence.

The paleogeographic reconstructions are generated from plate tectonic models developed by the EarthByte Group at the University of Sydney, served through the GPlates Web Service. Reconstructions for 0–250 Ma use the Müller et al. (2019) model, while older time slices use the Merdith et al. (2021) full-plate reconstruction extending back to 1 billion years ago.

The animation shows reconstructed plate motion and simplifies many geological processes such as crustal deformation, uplift, and sea level changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Pangea and Pangaea?: They are the same supercontinent — just two accepted English spellings. "Pangaea" is closer to the original Ancient Greek Pangaia (all + Earth), while "Pangea" is the simplified spelling more common in American English and modern scientific literature. Both are correct and used interchangeably.
What is the difference between Gondwana and Laurasia?: When Pangea began to break apart around 200 million years ago, it first split into two major landmasses. Gondwana comprised the southern continents — South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Laurasia comprised the northern landmasses — North America, Europe, and most of Asia. Both supercontinents then fragmented further into today's seven continents.
Where was my country when Pangea existed?: During Pangea's peak around 250 million years ago, most countries were parts of either Laurasia (north) or Gondwana (south). Use the country search on this map to highlight any nation and drag the slider back to watch it drift toward its ancient position. Notable examples: India was attached to East Africa, Australia was joined to Antarctica, and Scotland neighbored New York.
How do we know Pangea existed if no humans were alive to see it?: Multiple independent lines of evidence converge: matching fossils of identical species (like Glossopteris and Mesosaurus) found on continents now separated by oceans; the jigsaw-puzzle fit of continental coastlines, especially South America and Africa; matching rock formations and mountain chains that continue across continents; and paleomagnetic data frozen in ancient rocks that records the latitude at which they formed.
How fast do tectonic plates move?: Most plates move between 1 and 10 centimeters per year — roughly the speed your fingernails grow. The fastest recorded movement was the Indian plate, which raced northward at about 15 cm/year before colliding with Eurasia to form the Himalayas. The Atlantic Ocean widens by approximately 2.5 cm each year.
Will a new supercontinent form in the future?: Yes — geologists predict the continents will reassemble in roughly 200 to 250 million years. Proposed names include Pangea Proxima, Amasia, Novopangaea, and Aurica, depending on which tectonic model is used. The supercontinent cycle has repeated multiple times in Earth's 4.5-billion-year history.
What happened to life when Pangea broke apart?: The breakup created isolated continents that became separate evolutionary laboratories. Marsupials diversified in Australia, lemurs evolved on Madagascar, and unique species appeared across South America. New ocean basins and coastal habitats drove an explosion of marine biodiversity. The reorganization of ocean currents also fundamentally altered global climate patterns.
What time period does this interactive map cover?: This visualization spans 540 million years of Earth's history, from the early Cambrian period (when complex multicellular life was just emerging) through all geological periods — including the formation of Pangea in the Permian and its breakup in the Jurassic — all the way to the present-day configuration of continents.