The Face of the earth

Tectonic Plates

The fac e of the earth has we know it has been created by the movment of tectonic plates. Around 225 million years ago scientist belevied that there was one continent called Pangea.Pangea was ripped into two creating what scientist know has Gondwanaland and Laurasia these two continents would have existed during the Triassic which is estimated to be around 200 million years. Around 135 million years ago, or in the Jurassic time the continents took shape and are starting to look as we know them today. The only difference is that the Alantic Ocean is not yet its full size and the continents are still near each other. When entering the Cretaceous time period which is around 65 million years ago. the continents appeared to look as they do now exepct for the size difference of the Alantic Ocean and North America is at in upward angle.The reason that the continents were changed is because of the moving tectonic plates.Tectonic plates are the layers of the earth inner and outer that are catorgrized by scientist. the idea of Tectionic Plates is that the ground that you are walking on is actualy moving slowly. When the plates meet they can either collide which is known as Convergence,Divergence which would indacte that the plates are slowly being ripped apart, or a trasnform motition which means that the plates are simply moving past each other. The idea of tectonic plates is the most scientific explation of how the shape of the earth chaged and always will chage.As long as the Tectionic plates keep shifting.

(NMP1)