Talk about the ultimate breakup.
Europe and Africa have
been splitting apart
from the American continents
for millions of years.
At a rate of approximately
2.5 centimeters per year,
the continents are
moving about as fast
as our fingernails grow.
And as they continue to
split, the rift between them,
otherwise known as the Atlantic
Ocean, will get even wider.
And all this drama is
leaving behind a major scar,
an underwater valley called
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
which tears more and more as the
continents slowly move apart.
Looking back on the
continental relationship
puts us a mere 300
million years ago
when Africa, Europe,
the Americas,
and all the other continents
were one big landmass.
The famed
supercontinent, Pangea.
Due to the constant churning
of magma underneath the Earth's
crust, they all split up and
moved to their modern day
positions.
But if destiny in the form
of magma and tectonic plates
has anything to say
about it, the continents
might have a chance of
getting back together.
But how will these stubborn
continents kiss and make up?
Scientists believe
the plates will
shift, causing the continents
to rearrange and get
back together.
But in true tectonic
plate style,
it'll take about
250 million years.
Our planet has a violent soul.
Majestic and often destructive,
volcanic explosions
rattle our collective
imagination.