World 1 · Earth's Structure · 6 minPangaea, the supercontinent
One land, one ocean
Teaching this? Open projector mode
About 300 million years ago nearly all land was joined into a single supercontinent, Pangaea, surrounded by one vast ocean, Panthalassa. Around 200 million years ago it began to break apart into the continents we know today.
Supercontinents form and break up in slow cycles lasting hundreds of millions of years. Pangaea was only the most recent — earlier ones (Rodinia, Columbia) came before it, and a future supercontinent will assemble long after we are gone.
Check yourself
Pangaea began breaking apart roughly…
0 of 1 required activities complete. Finish each task and quiz.Next lesson →