Pangea

Pangaea, also spelled Pangæa, was a supercontinent that assembled during the late Paleozoic era and began to break apart in the Early Jurassic. It formed about 335 to 175 million years ago, integrating nearly all of Earth's landmasses into a single contiguous landmass. The concept was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 as part of the theory of continental drift and later incorporated into plate tectonics. Evidence includes the near-fit of continental margins, identical fossil assemblages (for example, Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus found on separate continents), and correlated rock sequences and coal deposits across now-distant regions. Paleoclimatic indicators, such as glacial deposits in equatorial regions and desert sediments in interior zones, also support a unified landmass.

Geographically, Pangaea consisted of two major regions, Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south, surrounded by the vast Panthalassa Ocean. It formed through successive collisions of earlier continental blocks, including Laurentia, Baltica, Siberia, and the microcontinents that would become Gondwana, while the Iapetus Ocean closed in the Paleozoic. The interior of Pangaea was likely arid due to its vast extent and distance from the coasts.

Breakup began in the Early Jurassic, around 175–200 million years ago, producing rift systems that opened the Central Atlantic and other ocean basins. Over tens of millions of years, Laurasia and Gondwana separated into the modern continents, with smaller landmasses and islands forming along the way.

Pangaea's study supports plate tectonics, paleogeography, and the interpretation of past climates and biogeography. It is named from Greek pan ("all") and Gaia ("Earth").