Pangaea Ultima 826017 221716739 2008-06-25T19:40:44Z 80.42.98.150 /* Formation */ Capitalisation of "North" '''Pangaea Ultima''' (also '''Pangaea Proxima''', '''Neopangaea''', or '''Pangaea II''') is a possible future [[supercontinent]] configuration and an alternative to the [[Amasia (continent)|Amasia]] supercontinent. Consistent with the [[supercontinent cycle]], Pangaea Ultima could 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. <ref>[http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_details.aspx?id_product=39894 Studio images, Earth in next 250 million years]</ref> 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]]<ref>[http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03trench/welcome.html puerto Rican plate]</ref>, 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.<ref>{{cite book | last = Kargel | first = Jeffrey S. | title = Mars | origdate = 2004-08-01 | publisher = Springer | id = ISBN 1-85233-568-8 | chapter = New World}}</ref> ==Formation== According to the Pangaea Ultima hypothesis, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans will continue to widen until new [[subduction zone]]s bring the continents back together, forming a Future Pangaea. Most continents and microcontinents are predicted to collide with Eurasia, just as they did when most continents collided to [[Laurentia]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/science/09geo.html?ei=5088&en=860894882cd7a34d&ex=1325998800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print Long-term global plate movement]</ref> Around 50 million years from now, [[North America]] is predicted to have shift slightly west and [[Eurasia]] would shift to the east, and possibly even to the south, bringing [[Great Britain]] closer to the North Pole and [[Siberia]] southward towards warm, [[subtropical]] latitudes. Africa is predicted to collide with Europe and Arabia, closing the [[Mediterranean Sea]] (completely closing the [[Tethys Ocean]] (or Neotethys)) and the [[Red Sea]]. A long mountain range would then extend from [[Spain]], across Southern [[Europe]] (the Mediterranean Mountain Range), through the Mideast and into [[Asia]]. Some are even predicted to have peaks higher than [[Mt. Everest]]. Similarly, [[Australia]] is predicted to beach itself on the doorstep of Southeast Asia and a new subduction zone is predicted to encircle Australia and extend westward across the Central Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, [[Southern California ]] and [[Baja California]] is predicted to have already collided with Alaska with new mountain ranges formed between them.<ref>[http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Pangea/Pangea9.html Our globe in next 50 million years]</ref> About 150 million years from now, the [[Atlantic]] ocean is predicted to stop widening and begin to shrink because a bit of the Atlantic Ocean mid-ridge will have been subducted. In this scenario, a mid-ocean ridge between [[South America]] and [[Africa]] will probably be subducted first, the [[Atlantic Ocean]] is predicted to have narrowed as a result of subduction beneath the Americas. The [[Indian Ocean]] is also predicted to be smaller due to northward subduction of oceanic crust into the Central Indian trench. [[North America|North]] and [[South America]] may be push back southeast, and southern Africa would almost hit equator and have reached the Northern hemisphere. Australia may have join back to Antartica, meeting the South Pole.<ref>[http://www.scotese.com/future1.htm Our Earth 150 million years from now]</ref> When the last bit of the Mid-Atlantic spreading ridge is subducted beneath the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean is predicted to rapidly close with a new Pangaea forming.<ref name="scotese">{{cite web | url = http://www.scotese.com/future2.htm | last = Scotese | first = Christopher R. | title = Pangea Ultima will form 250 million years in the Future | work = Paleomap Project | accessdate = 2006-03-13}}</ref> At 250 million years in the future, the Atlantic and Indian oceans are predicted to have closed. [[North America]] is predicted to have already collided with [[Africa]], but be in a more southerly position than where it rifted. [[South America]] is predicted to be wrapped around the southern tip of Africa, with [[Patagonia]] in contact with Indonesia, enclosing a remnant of the Indian Ocean (called the Indo-Atlantic Ocean). [[Antarctica]] would then once again be at the South Pole and the [[Pacific]] will have grown wider, encircling half the [[Earth]].<ref name="scotese">{{cite web | url = http://www.scotese.com/future2.htm | last = Scotese | first = Christopher R. | title = Pangea Ultima will form 250 million years in the Future | work = Paleomap Project | accessdate = 2006-03-13}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Pangaea]] * [[Amasia (continent)|Amasia]] ==References== <!-- ---------------------------------------------------------- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for a discussion of different citation methods and how to generate footnotes using the <ref>, </ref> and <reference /> tags ----------------------------------------------------------- --> <div class="references-small"> <references /> </div> {{Continents of the world}} [[Category:Theoretical continents]] [[es:Pangea Última]] [[fr:Pangée ultime]] [[it:Pangea Ultima]] [[ja:パンゲア・ウルティマ大陸]] [[nl:Pangea Ultima]] [[ru:Пангея Ультима]] [[sv:Pangea Ultima]]