This illustration represents Pangaea, the supercontinent that existed
about 225 million years ago, a time when the dinosaurs were first establishing
themselves as a life form on Earth. The colored regions reveal regions
of present day continents were fossils of the indicated plant or animal
were found. Thus, fossils of the fern, Glossopteris were found
in all of the continents shown above.
How could they have traveled so far?
Why of course, they never traveled at all. Instead, the continents
moved carrying the fossils.
This map reveals the supercontinent Pangaea. At this time, all of the
modern day continents resides close to one another and plants and animals
were moved freely over all of the continents.
During the Triassic, when the dinosaurs were on the ascendency, Pangaea
had broken into two large landmasses: Laurasia to the North and Gondwanaland
to the South. Note the existence of the Thethys Sea that nearly separated
these landmasses.
During the Jurassic, when the dinosaurs ruled Earth, the Thethys Sea
had nearly separated the two continents. Note that present day North
America and Europe are discernible parts of Eurasia and South America,
Africa, India, Antartica, and Australia are beginning to take on individual
shape.
It is the Cretaceous and the dinosaurs have passed from the scene-making
possible the asdency of the mammal. The modern day continents are
much more easily seen and you should be able to identity all of the major
landmasses in the above map.
Is this the end of the story? Will the continents remain in their
present day position forever or are they mutable?