Break Up of Pangaea

According to the theory of continental drift, Pangaea began to break apart approximately 225 million years ago. About 200 million years ago, Pangaea separated into two large continents: Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Laurasia comprises the northern hemisphere part of Pangaea, and includes most of present-day Europe, North America, Greenland, and Asia. Gondwanaland comprises the southern hemisphere of Pangaea, and includes most of present-day South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Between 150 - 65 million years ago, the continents as we know them today began to separate from one another and drifted to their current locations.

The next page shows an animation of the breakup of Pangaea. Be patient - it takes a little while to load!

Source: http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/historical.html (public domain)