What is Pangaea?

Question

What is Pangaea?

Accepted Answer

A supercontinent that existed approximately 335-175 million years ago, comprising all major landmasses. Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed from approximately 335 to 175 million years ago (late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic era), encompassing virtually all of Earth's major landmasses in a single connected body. Surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa, Pangaea began to break apart in the Jurassic period due to the forces of plate tectonics, eventually forming the continents we see today. The name, meaning "all lands" in Greek, was coined by Alfred Wegener, who first proposed the concept of continental drift.

Pangaea is not the name of any current tectonic plate; the largest current plate is the Pacific Plate. The ancient ocean that surrounded Pangaea was called Panthalassa, not Pangaea. The formation of the Moon is explained by the giant impact hypothesis (a Mars-sized body colliding with early Earth), which is unrelated to the concept of Pangaea.

Pangaea and the history of continental movement are important topics on the DSST Introduction to Geology exam. Students should know the evidence for Pangaea's existence (the same evidence Wegener presented for continental drift: fossil distributions, glacial evidence, matching rock sequences, coastline fit), the approximate timeline of its assembly and breakup, and how plate tectonics has reconfigured the continents multiple times throughout Earth's history (Pangaea was not the first supercontinent; earlier ones include Rodinia and Columbia).

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