Breakup of Pangaea

The mechanism for the breakup of Pangaea is now explained in terms of plate tectonics rather than Wegener’s outmoded concept of continental drift, which simply stated that Earth’s continents were once joined together into the supercontinent Pangaea that lasted for most of geologic time.

Plate tectonics is a scientific theory describing the large-scale movement of the earth’s lithosphere. The lithosphere is divided into about a dozen large plates which move and interact with one another to create earthquakes, mountain ranges, volcanic activity, ocean trenches and many other features. Continents and ocean basis are moved and changed in shape as a result of these plate movements.