Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed between 335 and 200 million years ago. It brought together nearly all of Earth’s landmasses, surrounded by a vast global ocean called Panthalassa.
The name Pangaea comes from the Greek words pan (“all”) and gaia (“Earth”), meaning “all the Earth.”
Key Facts About Pangaea
Formation
Pangaea formed during the late Carboniferous Period, about 335 million years ago, when several continental blocks — including Gondwana, Euramerica (or Laurussia), and Siberia — collided due to plate tectonic movements.
Breakup
The supercontinent began to break apart around 200 million years ago, during the late Triassic to early Jurassic periods. This breakup started with a triple rift system that developed between what are now Africa, South America, and North America.
Result
The fragmentation of Pangaea eventually led to the formation of the modern continents and the opening of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, shaping the Earth’s geography as we know it today.
Discovery
The concept of Pangaea was first proposed in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist and geophysicist, as part of his groundbreaking continental drift theory — the foundation for modern plate tectonics.
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