Get Earth Science: National Geographic – Colliding Continents Video Worksheet

The crust and the upper part of the mantle is called the lithosphere. It is rather like a jigsaw puzzle and is made up of large pieces called tectonic plates.

At that time, the Earth will likely be devoid of separate continents, but will instead consist of one giant land mass. Major cities will fall, temperatures will plummet and the world as we know it will be completely unrecognizable.

Because of this northern drift, one can envisage a scenario where the continents, except Antarctica, keep drifting north. This means that they would eventually gather around the North Pole in a supercontinent called Amasia. In this scenario, both the Atlantic and the Pacific would mostly remain open.

As the seafloor spreads away from the rifts where it formed, it cools and becomes denser. This old, heavy seafloor sinks back down into the inside of the Earth at the deep sea trenches, the deepest places in the oceans. Under these giant ditches, the rocks of the seafloor are recycled.

Asia and America Will Collide in Millions of Years to Form Supercontinent Amasia. In the next 50 to 200 million years, all of Earth's continents will be once again pushed together into a single landmass around the North Pole, a supercontinent called Amasia.

The crust and the upper part of the mantle is called the lithosphere. It is rather like a jigsaw puzzle and is made up of large pieces called tectonic plates.

In geology, continental collision is a phenomenon of plate tectonics that occurs at convergent boundaries. Continental collision is a variation on the fundamental process of subduction, whereby the subduction zone is destroyed, mountains produced, and two continents sutured together.

At that time, the Earth will likely be devoid of separate continents, but will instead consist of one giant land mass. Major cities will fall, temperatures will plummet and the world as we know it will be completely unrecognizable.

The shapes of continents fit together like a puzzle. Just look at the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa—it's almost a perfect fit! Identical rocks have been found on different continents. These rocks formed millions of years ago, before the continents separated.

Because of this northern drift, one can envisage a scenario where the continents, except Antarctica, keep drifting north. This means that they would eventually gather around the North Pole in a supercontinent called Amasia. In this scenario, both the Atlantic and the Pacific would mostly remain open.

As Yogi Berra might say, it looks like "deja vu all over again" as the present-day continents slowly converge during the next 250 million years to form another mega-continent: Pangea Ultima.

As the seafloor spreads away from the rifts where it formed, it cools and becomes denser. This old, heavy seafloor sinks back down into the inside of the Earth at the deep sea trenches, the deepest places in the oceans. Under these giant ditches, the rocks of the seafloor are recycled.

Asia and America Will Collide in Millions of Years to Form Supercontinent Amasia. In the next 50 to 200 million years, all of Earth's continents will be once again pushed together into a single landmass around the North Pole, a supercontinent called Amasia.

Asia and America Will Collide in Millions of Years to Form Supercontinent Amasia. In the next 50 to 200 million years, all of Earth's continents will be once again pushed together into a single landmass around the North Pole, a supercontinent called Amasia.

One possibility is that, 200 million years from now, all the continents except Antarctica could join together around the north pole, forming the supercontinent “Amasia.” Another possibility is that “Aurica” could form from all the continents coming together around the equator in about 250 million years.

In geology, continental collision is a phenomenon of plate tectonics that occurs at convergent boundaries. Continental collision is a variation on the fundamental process of subduction, whereby the subduction zone is destroyed, mountains produced, and two continents sutured together.

Most scientists believe that the water that formed our oceans came from many, many contained water.

The shapes of continents fit together like a puzzle. Just look at the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa—it's almost a perfect fit! Identical rocks have been found on different continents. These rocks formed millions of years ago, before the continents separated.

As Yogi Berra might say, it looks like "deja vu all over again" as the present-day continents slowly converge during the next 250 million years to form another mega-continent: Pangea Ultima.

Asia and America Will Collide in Millions of Years to Form Supercontinent Amasia. In the next 50 to 200 million years, all of Earth's continents will be once again pushed together into a single landmass around the North Pole, a supercontinent called Amasia.

One possibility is that, 200 million years from now, all the continents except Antarctica could join together around the north pole, forming the supercontinent “Amasia.” Another possibility is that “Aurica” could form from all the continents coming together around the equator in about 250 million years.

Most scientists believe that the water that formed our oceans came from many, many contained water.