[pan-jee-uh] 
| the hypothetical landmass that existed when all continents were joined, from about 300 to 200 million years ago. |
Pan·gae·a also Pan·ge·a (pān-jē'ə)  (click for larger image in new window) n. A hypothetical supercontinent that included all the landmasses of the earth before the Triassic Period. Pangaea broke apart during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods, separating into Laurasia and Gondwanaland. [pan- + Greek gaia, earth.] |
A former “supercontinent” on the Earth. In the distant past a large landmass, Pangaea, included all the present continents, which broke up and drifted apart. (See plate tectonics.)
Pangaea (pān-jē'ə) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) A supercontinent made up of all the world's present landmasses joined together in the configuration they are thought to have had during the Permian and Triassic Periods. According to the theory of plate tectonics, Pangaea later broke up into Laurasia and Gondwanaland, which eventually broke up into the continents we know today. |