Name: Anonymous 2008-03-05 0:05
Pangaea Ultima (also Pangaea Proxima, Neopangaea, or Pangaea II) is a possible future supercontinent configuration, which, consistent with the supercontinent cycle, may occur within the next 250 million years. This potential configuration, hypothesized by Christopher Scotese, earned its name from its similarity to the previous Pangaea supercontinent.[1]
Supercontinents describe the merger of all, or nearly all, of the Earth's landmass into a single continuous continent. In the Pangaea Ultima scenario, subduction at the western Atlantic, east of the Americas (signs of it can be seen today, the Puerto Rico Trench), leads to the subduction of the Atlantic mid-ocean ridge followed by subduction destroying the Atlantic oceanic basin, causing the Atlantic Ocean to close, bringing the Americas back together with Africa and Europe. As with most supercontinents, the interior of Pangaea Ultima would probably become a semi-arid desert prone to temperature extremes.
Supercontinents describe the merger of all, or nearly all, of the Earth's landmass into a single continuous continent. In the Pangaea Ultima scenario, subduction at the western Atlantic, east of the Americas (signs of it can be seen today, the Puerto Rico Trench), leads to the subduction of the Atlantic mid-ocean ridge followed by subduction destroying the Atlantic oceanic basin, causing the Atlantic Ocean to close, bringing the Americas back together with Africa and Europe. As with most supercontinents, the interior of Pangaea Ultima would probably become a semi-arid desert prone to temperature extremes.