Pangea: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Pangaea

Did You Know?

Scientists initially ridiculed Wegener's theories about continental movement as "delirious ravings".

Photos and Videos

Permian paleogeography

Carboniferous paleogeography

Triassic paleogeography

Pangea: Early Triassic Period

Jurassic paleogeography

Pangea: Late Jurassic Period

Infographic showing the locations and timelines of ancient and submerged continents including Mauritia and Zealandia on modern maps, and paleocontinents Rodinia, Laurentia, Pangea, and Gondwana on reconstructed ancient Earth maps, with explanatory text about their formation and breakup.

A series of four world maps showing the progression of continental drift over time. The maps illustrate the supercontinent Pangaea 225 million years ago, its breakup into Laurasia and Gondwana 150 million years ago, the further separation of continents 100 million years ago, and the current arrangement of continents on Earth today. Continents are labeled in each map.

Early Permian and Late Permian paleogeography and plaeoceanography

Early Permian Epoch

What is continental drift and how does it work?

Piecing together the puzzle of continental drift

Watch Earth's Continents Move

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

plate tectonics Triassic Period Permian Period continental drift Spotting a Supercontinent: How Pangea Was Discovered Gondwana Laurasia Rodinia

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Portrait of Alfred Lothar Wegener wearing a suit and tie, looking directly at the camera.

Alfred Wegener

German meteorologist and geophysicist