Using information from inside the rocks on Earth’s surface, we have reconstructed the plate tectonics of the planet over the last 1.8 billion years. It is the first time Earth’s geological record has been used like this, looking so far back in time.
This has enabled us to make an attempt at mapping the planet over the last 40% of its history, which you can see in the animation below. The work, led by Xianzhi Cao from the Ocean University in China, is now published in the open-access journal . A beautiful dance Mapping our planet through its long history creates a beautiful continental dance — mesmerising in itself and a work of natural art.
It starts with the map of the world familiar to everyone. Then India rapidly moves south, followed by parts of forms in the Southern Hemisphere. Around 200 million years ago (Ma or in the reconstruction), when the dinosaurs walked the earth, Gondwana linked with North America, Europe and northern Asia to form a large supercontinent called Pangaea.
Then, the reconstruction carries on back through time. Pangaea and Gondwana were themselves formed from older plate collisions. As time rolls back, an earlier supercontinent called Rodinia appears.
It doesn’t stop here. Rodinia, in turn, is formed by the break-up of an even older supercontinent called Nuna about 1.35 billion years ago.
Why map Earth’s past? Among the planets in the Solar System, Earth is unique for having plate tectonics. Its rocky surface is split into fragments (plate.