Scientists Predict That in 250 Million Years, Earth Will Have a New Supercontinent. But What Will It Look Like?
Imagine a world where the continents merge into a single massive landmass. While this may sound like a science fiction movie, it is, in fact, the natural cycle of tectonic plates on Earth.
The Science Behind Supercontinents
The Earth’s crust is divided into tectonic plates that continuously move, albeit at the speed of a snail. These movements cause earthquakes, form mountain ranges, and drive the slow drift of continents. Over millions of years, this process causes landmasses to converge, separate, and come together to form supercontinents.
Pangaea, the most famous supercontinent, existed about 335 million years ago. Eventually, it broke apart into the continents we know today. However, Pangaea was not the first supercontinent. Before it, there was Columbia, formed around 1.5 billion years ago, and Rodinia, which coalesced about a billion years ago and began to fragment around 750 million years ago.
This cycle of merging and separating is both slow and inevitable. As continents drift at different rates, scientists have used seismic data and advanced modeling to glimpse what the next supercontinent might look like.
What Could the Next Supercontinent Look Like?
Projected world map in approximately 250 million years.
Predicting the exact configuration of continents in the next 250 million years is a significant challenge. Factors such as the speed of plate movement and interactions remain difficult to predict over such a vast timescale. However, researchers have proposed four plausible scenarios for the next supercontinent:
- Novopangaea: Continents drift together around the Pacific Ocean and completely close in.
- Aurica: India becomes the center of a vast landmass uniting surrounding continents.
- Amasia: North America and Asia merge at the Arctic, creating a unique Arctic supercontinent.
- Pangaea Proxima: Perhaps this is the most realistic scenario. Africa, the Americas, Eurasia, Australia, and Antarctica converge into a massive landmass.
Studying supercontinents provides important insights into geology, climate, and biodiversity. Supercontinents influence ocean currents, atmospheric patterns, and even the evolutionary processes of life. Understanding how these landmasses form and separate helps scientists decipher Earth’s past and predict long-term changes.
