Pangaea was the ancient supercontinent that united most of Earth’s landmasses.
Pangaea formed during the late Paleozoic Era and began breaking apart during the early Mesozoic Era. At its greatest extent, it brought together nearly all present-day continents into one enormous landmass surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa.
The name Pangaea comes from Greek words meaning “all Earth.” German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift in 1912, pointing to matching coastlines, related fossils, and connected geological formations on continents now separated by oceans. His evidence was persuasive, but the mechanism was not understood at the time.
Plate tectonics later explained how continents move. Pangaea’s breakup produced major groups including Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south before those landmasses fragmented further. The continents continue moving today, generally only a few centimeters per year, driven by processes within Earth’s lithosphere and mantle.