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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Supercontinent Pangaea Pushed, Not Sucked, Into Place


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The continents drift apart as the supercontinent Pangaea breaks up in an artist's rendering. Several supercontinents have formed and broken up during Earth's history, scientists say, and traditionally they've thought that suction is the driving force.

But a September 2008 study suggests that this model does not explain how Pangaea formed, and instead proposes that a plume of superheated rock from deep in Earth's crust welled up between the ancient continents, pushing them apart until they collided to form the ancient supercontinent.

Image courtesy D'Arco Editori/Getty Images