Scientists believe that Pangaea was split apart 200-250 million years ago
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Approximately 200 million years ago, all of Earth's continents were part of a single supercontinent known as Pangaea. Over time, the movement of tectonic plates caused Pangaea to break apart and eventually form the continents as we know them today.
The first early relatively stable land masses formed around 3.5-3.8 billion years ago, shortly after Earth's formation around 4.5 billion years ago.
When millions of years ago, most of the land on Earth was covered by vast oceans and shallow seas. Over time, tectonic plate movements and volcanic activity caused the continents to shift and rise above sea level, creating the diverse landscapes we see today.
Around 12% of the Earth's land surface was covered by rainforests 100 years ago. Today, that number has decreased significantly due to deforestation and land conversion for agriculture and development.
Ancient pottery reveal magnetic field changes from long ago. By studying the alignment of magnetic minerals in the pottery, researchers can reconstruct past magnetic field intensity and direction, providing insights into the Earth's magnetic field history.
Diplodocus lived during the Late Jurassic period, around 154-152 million years ago.