Amasia – New supercontinent

In the next several hundreds million years, the Arctic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea will disappear completely. Asia will merge with the American continent, forming a supercontinent which will take up the major part of the northern hemisphere. This is the conclusion of the new analysis of movements of colossal land masses on the Earth.

Scientist arrived at the new theory by using paleomagnetic data – records of the Earth's magnetic field preserved in rocks. They've also studied variations in the planet's rotation, as well as shifts in the Earth's axis. In order to maintain its rotational balance, the Earth will have to “rearrange” its tectonic plates, which will take several million years. The new continent will be called Amasia.

Experts also remind of the fact that three hundred million years ago, there was a supercontinent called Pangea, which had in its center what is now Africa. Only a hundred years after its formation, the continent started to part, leading to the formation of seven smaller land masses, today's continents. The Atlantic Ocean is one of the results of this process as well. However, Pangea was not the first continent on the Earth. Scientists believe that it might have been the third or the fourth, and the new supercontinent Amasia is expected to form in 250 million years.

The continental drift theory was proposed in 1912 by the German scientist Alfred Wegener, who supported his theory by the fact that the outlines of the continents match each other much like pieces of a puzzle would.

Amazija

supercontinent

planet Earth

Arctic

Caribbean Sea

Pangea

Atlantic Ocean

Alfred Wegener

scientific research

researching planet Earth