continents & islands formed one big supercontinent: _______ and split into ____ and ____
The supercontinent that formed before the modern continents is called Pangaea
The supercontinent that formed before the modern continents is called Pangaea. Pangaea began to break apart approximately 175 million years ago during the Jurassic period. The split occurred in two major stages.
The first split formed two landmasses, namely Laurasia and Gondwana. Laurasia was composed of present-day North America, Europe, and Asia, while Gondwana consisted of South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and the Indian subcontinent.
Over time, the two landmasses continued to separate. Laurasia further fragmented into North America, Europe, and Asia as we know them today. Gondwana experienced a similar fate and split into the continents we see today: South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and the Indian subcontinent, which eventually collided with Asia to form the Himalayas.
This process of splitting and drifting of the supercontinent Pangaea is known as continental drift and is attributed to plate tectonics. Plate tectonics explains the movement of Earth’s lithosphere (the rigid outer shell) on the underlying asthenosphere (the semi-fluid layer).
More Answers:
The Biogeographic Distribution of Glossopteris: Compelling Evidence for Continental DriftThe Impact of Continental Drift on Biogeographic Distributions: Unveiling the Evolutionary Journey of Species
Understanding the Slow but Significant Movement of Continents: A Comparison to Fingernail Growth