Plate Tectonics
How 250 million years of drifting continents left their evidence on the map.
Time
Playback
Evidence
Drag through time, or press Play and watch 250 million years pass.
A model of drifting plates on a flat map. Shapes are simplified, the timeline is compressed, and only two spreading ridges are drawn. Positions follow the reconstructed motions in broad strokes, not survey detail.
Pangaea intact
Era
250 MILLION YEARS AGO
Time
EVIDENCE: FOSSILS + SEAFLOOR AGE
Map evidence