1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,340 2 00:00:01,340 --> 00:00:03,260 Talk about the ultimate breakup. 3 00:00:03,260 --> 00:00:05,480 Europe and Africa have been splitting apart 4 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,420 from the American continents for millions of years. 5 00:00:08,420 --> 00:00:12,120 At a rate of approximately 2.5 centimeters per year, 6 00:00:12,120 --> 00:00:13,850 the continents are moving about as fast 7 00:00:13,850 --> 00:00:15,150 as our fingernails grow. 8 00:00:15,150 --> 00:00:18,230 And as they continue to split, the rift between them, 9 00:00:18,230 --> 00:00:21,380 otherwise known as the Atlantic Ocean, will get even wider. 10 00:00:21,380 --> 00:00:25,000 And all this drama is leaving behind a major scar, 11 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,830 an underwater valley called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 12 00:00:27,830 --> 00:00:31,400 which tears more and more as the continents slowly move apart. 13 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,620 Looking back on the continental relationship 14 00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:36,530 puts us a mere 300 million years ago 15 00:00:36,530 --> 00:00:38,840 when Africa, Europe, the Americas, 16 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,050 and all the other continents were one big landmass. 17 00:00:42,050 --> 00:00:44,960 The famed supercontinent, Pangea. 18 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,050 Due to the constant churning of magma underneath the Earth's 19 00:00:48,050 --> 00:00:51,080 crust, they all split up and moved to their modern day 20 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:52,130 positions. 21 00:00:52,130 --> 00:00:54,920 But if destiny in the form of magma and tectonic plates 22 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,560 has anything to say about it, the continents 23 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,610 might have a chance of getting back together. 24 00:00:59,610 --> 00:01:02,210 But how will these stubborn continents kiss and make up? 25 00:01:02,210 --> 00:01:03,650 Scientists believe the plates will 26 00:01:03,650 --> 00:01:06,500 shift, causing the continents to rearrange and get 27 00:01:06,500 --> 00:01:07,870 back together. 28 00:01:07,870 --> 00:01:09,980 But in true tectonic plate style, 29 00:01:09,980 --> 00:01:13,370 it'll take about 250 million years. 30 00:01:13,370 --> 00:01:15,950 Our planet has a violent soul. 31 00:01:15,950 --> 00:01:19,670 Majestic and often destructive, volcanic explosions 32 00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:23,020 rattle our collective imagination.