Formation of Pangaea
335 million years ago · Prehistoric
Pangaea was a supercontinent that assembled during the late Carboniferous period (approximately 335-300 million years ago) through the collision of Gondwana and Laurasia. It remained intact until about 200 million years ago when it began to break apart during the early Jurassic period, eventually forming the continents we know today.
Key Figures
Alfred WegenerArthur Holmes
Locations
Appalachian MountainsScottish Highlands
Topics
JurassicCarboniferousPangaeaSupercontinentTriassicEuramericaGondwana
Connected Events — 7 Connections
Occurred when continental landmasses were assembled into Pangaea, concentrating volcanic and climate effects Permian-Triassic Extinction: The End-Permian Die-Off
The Caledonian collisions merged Laurentia and Baltica into Laurussia, a precursor assembly to Pangaea Caledonian Orogeny
Closure of the Rheic Ocean through Gondwana-Laurussia collision directly contributed to Pangaea assembly Closure of the Rheic Ocean
The Wilson Cycle provides the theoretical framework explaining how supercontinents like Pangaea assemble and break apart J. Tuzo Wilson Proposes Plate Tectonic Cycle
Plate tectonics drives the Wilson Cycle of continental assembly and breakup, eventually producing supercontinents like Pangaea Onset of Plate Tectonics on Earth
Gondwana's position over the South Pole enabled ice sheet formation; continental drift would later assemble Gondwana into the supercontinent Pangaea Late Ordovician Glaciation and Mass Extinction
The collapse occurred as Euramerica and Gondwana were converging to form Pangaea, which altered atmospheric circulation patterns and contributed to equatorial aridification Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse
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