How one supercontinent broke into seven continents over 200 million years.
In 1912, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener published "The Origin of Continents and Oceans." He proposed that all continents were once joined in a single supercontinent called Pangaea (meaning "All Lands"), surrounded by a vast ocean called Panthalassa.
Wegener observed that the coasts of South America and Africa seemed to fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces.
Fossils of the freshwater reptile Mesosaurus were found in both Brazil and South Africa, impossible if oceans separated them.
Scars left by ancient glaciers in India, Australia, and South America suggest these lands were once connected near the South Pole.
Due to convection currents in the mantle, the supercontinent splits into two huge landmasses: Laurasia (North) and Gondwana (South).
The North Atlantic opens first. North America separates from Europe. Gondwana continues to break apart as South America moves away from Africa.
India collides with Asia to form the Himalayas. Australia separates from Antarctica. The plates continue to move today at roughly the speed of fingernail growth.