About 200 million years ago, a monumental event began to shape the world as we know it today: the breakup of Pangea, Earth’s last supercontinent.
This fragmentation process was driven by tectonic plates in constant movement, a complex phenomenon about which science is continually learning, with researchers incessantly refining their models to predict the future of the planet.
The discovery of plate tectonics is relatively recent. It was only in the 1960s, with the advancement of technologies such as echosounders and magnetometers, that scientists were able to explain the mechanisms behind the movement of plates.
Before that, in 1912, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift and suggested the existence of Pangea, the supercontinent that broke apart over time.
Since then, scholars have worked on building plate tectonic models, incorporating new data and even considering the possibility of the emergence of new continents.
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Model suggests how the supercontinent will form in the future
By analyzing how tides are influenced by the movement of tectonic plates, a research team has developed a model that suggests the formation of a possible supercontinent in the future.
These models not only offer new insights into the potential configuration of continents, they also contribute significantly to the current understanding of Earth’s geological processes. They allow us to better understand the interactions between tectonic plates, global climate, the oceans and even the evolution of life on our planet.
Investigation of these models also revealed that Earth is experiencing a period of intense tidal activity, predicted to last about 20 million years. According to the research, published by Advancing Earth And Space Scienceas the next supercontinent forms, ocean basins will become large reservoirs of water with low tidal activity.
This can result in smaller waves and a reduction in the mix of nutrients in the water, affecting the marine ecosystem and life on the ocean floor.
For researchers, the study of the separation of Pangea and plate tectonics is fundamental to understanding Earth’s geological past and also to envisioning the future and the impacts of these processes on the planet and the life that inhabits it.
