Yes. The tectonic plates, which form the Earth’s surface and on which the continents and oceans are located, move an average of 10 centimeters per year. “To give you an idea, it’s the same speed at which our fingernails grow”, says geologist Felipe Antonio Toledo, from USP’s Oceanographic Institute.
Although they are always in motion, the plates move at different speeds and in different directions. Therefore, they live in constant tension, which manifests itself through volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The “engine” of displacement is magma, an incandescent mineral mixture with the consistency of toothpaste, which runs under the plates. What guarantees that the magma is in constant movement is the difference in temperature that it reaches according to the proximity to the center of the Earth. The portion closest to the center heats up, its density drops, and it rises towards the surface. At the same time, the “cold” portion descends, forming a cycle that has been repeated for billions of years. Thanks to him, throughout Earth’s history, the continents came together – forming a megacontinent called Pangea -, separated and, according to what geologists can already assume, are getting together again.
Dropping on the boards
The continents were once connected and in the future they will come together again.
PANGEA – 230 million years ago
In the 1950s, scientists proved the existence of a supercontinent formed 230 million years ago. In addition to the similarity between the coastal lines, fossils of identical plants on the coast of Brazil and Africa and evidence of glaciation in southern Africa, India and western Australia made clear the existence of what was named Pangea.
TODAY
All tectonic plates are currently in motion, but each one moves with a different speed and direction. The average displacement is 10.1 cm/year, but in some parts of the Nazca plate (attached to the Andes), for example, the velocity reaches 18.3 cm/year. The Southeast Indian Dorsal Plate, on the other hand, moves at 1.3 cm/year
NEW SUPERCONTINENT – 250 MILLION YEARS FROM HERE
Based on the speed and direction with which the plates move today and the characteristics of each one of them, it is possible to predict that the continents are coming together again, but in the opposite direction to that of Pangea. In this process, it is likely that some plates – such as the Nazca (next to the Andes) – disappear, superimposed by another, thicker one.