Future Plate Tectonics: Pangea Proxima - Vignette 10

This speculative animation shows what the world might look like 250 million years in the future. The first 50 million years is a simple projection of current plate motions. After 75 million years changes in plate boundaries (e.g. collision of Africa with southern Europe and the subduction of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge beneath North and South America) result in a realignment of the forces that drive the plates and cause a fundamental change in the motions of the plates. In 250 million years the Atlantic and Indian Oceans close forming the new supercontinent of "Pangea Proxima" (literally the next Pangea). Area of geographic interest: global. Geological time interval: modern to +250 million years in the future. [Note: Pangea Proxima was originally called "Pangea Ultima", but that was a misnomer. This future pangea is the "next" pangea, not the "last" pangea.] keywords: Pangea, plate tectonics, future plate tectonics, Pangea Proxima, Pangea Ultima, new subduction zones, future Pangea, Scotese, animation Please cite as: More Information: There is no certainty about the future plate geometry of the Earth, but using current plate motions and tectonic principles we can make educated guesses about future plate configurations. We surmise that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans will continue to widen until a new subduction zone brings these continents back together, eventually forming a new supercontinent, “Pangea Proxima”. The northward trajectory of Africa suggests that the Red...