Get Earth Science: National Geographic – Colliding Continents Video Worksheet

Most scientists believe that the water in our oceans originated from various sources, including volcanic activity, icy comets, and dense gas clouds. As the Earth cooled, steam released from these sources condensed to form the oceans we see today. The Earth Science: National Geographic – Colliding Continents Video Worksheet provides context for this scientific understanding, helping students explore the relationship between geological events and ocean formation. This exploration contributes to a holistic understanding of Earth’s history.

In a continent-continent collision, two continental plates come together, often resulting in significant geological upheaval. This process produces mountains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. The Earth Science: National Geographic – Colliding Continents Video Worksheet elaborates on these dramatic events, helping students visualize the effects of such collisions. This knowledge is crucial for understanding the Earth’s geological history and current landscape.

Continents collide due to the movement of tectonic plates beneath the Earth's surface. As these plates shift, they can push against each other, leading to compression and the formation of features like mountain ranges. The Earth Science: National Geographic – Colliding Continents Video Worksheet provides insights into these processes, illustrating how continuous movement shapes our land. By observing these phenomena, students gain a deeper understanding of geological changes.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.