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Question
Which continents of today were part of the Gondwana land?
Which continents of today were part of the Gondwana land?
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Solution
Gondwana was an ancient supercontinent that broke up about 180 million years ago. The Gondwana land included India, Australia, South Africa and South America as one single land mass. Gondwana became the largest piece of continental crust of the Paleozoic Era, covering an area of about 100,000,000 km2.
Gondwana
- Gondwana was a supercontinent.
- It broke up during the Jurassic period (180 million years ago).
- Gondwana existed from the Neoproterozoic period, that is, around 550 million years ago.
- During the Eocene period, Drake passage was opened up separating Antarctica and South America.
- The continent of Gondwana was named by the Austrian scientist Eduard Suess, after the Gondwana region of central India which is derived from Sanskrit for ‘forest of the Gonds’.
- As per the earlier definition, Gondwana was not considered as a supercontinent, as the landmasses of Siberia, Laurentia, Baltica were separated from it.
- During the paleozoic era, the largest piece of continental crust was the Gondwana, it was about 1/5th of the earth’s surface.
- Gondwana merged with Euramerica, during the carboniferous period, to form the larger supercontinent called Pangea.
- However, during the mesozoic era, Pangea and Gondwana broke up.
- Two-thirds of today’s continental area is made up of Gondwana which includes Indian subcontinent, Australia, Antarctica, Arabia, Zealandia, Africa, and South America.
Pangea
- Pangaea or Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the early Mesozoic eras and late Paleozoic era.
- It was the first supercontinent to be reconstructed by Geologists and it was centred on the Equator.
- Pangea began to break up around 175 million years ago.
- From earlier continental units, Pangea began to assemble approximately 335 million years ago.
Continental Drift
- The theory and concept of Continental drift was developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912.
- Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other
Gondwana was an ancient supercontinent that broke up about 180 million years ago. The Gondwana land included India, Australia, South Africa and South America as one single land mass. Gondwana became the largest piece of continental crust of the Paleozoic Era, covering an area of about 100,000,000 km2.
Gondwana
- Gondwana was a supercontinent.
- It broke up during the Jurassic period (180 million years ago).
- Gondwana existed from the Neoproterozoic period, that is, around 550 million years ago.
- During the Eocene period, Drake passage was opened up separating Antarctica and South America.
- The continent of Gondwana was named by the Austrian scientist Eduard Suess, after the Gondwana region of central India which is derived from Sanskrit for ‘forest of the Gonds’.
- As per the earlier definition, Gondwana was not considered as a supercontinent, as the landmasses of Siberia, Laurentia, Baltica were separated from it.
- During the paleozoic era, the largest piece of continental crust was the Gondwana, it was about 1/5th of the earth’s surface.
- Gondwana merged with Euramerica, during the carboniferous period, to form the larger supercontinent called Pangea.
- However, during the mesozoic era, Pangea and Gondwana broke up.
- Two-thirds of today’s continental area is made up of Gondwana which includes Indian subcontinent, Australia, Antarctica, Arabia, Zealandia, Africa, and South America.
Pangea
- Pangaea or Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the early Mesozoic eras and late Paleozoic era.
- It was the first supercontinent to be reconstructed by Geologists and it was centred on the Equator.
- Pangea began to break up around 175 million years ago.
- From earlier continental units, Pangea began to assemble approximately 335 million years ago.
Continental Drift
- The theory and concept of Continental drift was developed by Alfred Wegener in 1912.
- Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth’s continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other
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