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Interactive map of Pangaea / Pangea with present-day borders and a globe

Author: Vibor Cipan Published on: October 23, 2022, and filed under Science and health
The map of Pangaea on a 3D interactive globe with present-day borders

This blog post provides a history and background information about the supercontinent Pangaea. We start with a general introduction, introduce Wegener's continental drift hypothesis, and show evidence for Pangaea's existence. Then, you can enjoy the Pangaea reconstruction on a 3D interactive globe based on a present-days borders map of Pangaea.

The map at the end of this post shows a reconstruction of the supercontinent Pangaea (also called Pangea) with present-day borders and an interactive 3D visualization of a globe so you can explore it in more detail.

Massimo Pietrobon created the original map, and with some modifications, it was transformed into an equirectangular projection, making it suitable for 3D projection on a globe.

What is Pangaea?

Around 300 million years ago, the supercontinent Pangaea (or the supercontinent Pangea) started its development. It was made up of earlier larger continental units like Gondwana, Euramerica, and Siberia. It started breaking apart 100 million years later, some 200 million years ago.

The name Pangaea comes from the Ancient Greek pan (meaning all, entire) and Gaia or Gaea (meaning land, Earth, or even Mother Earth).

Our world is a dynamic place, which holds for such fundamental events as the formation of continents and ocean masses. Plate tectonics offers incredible insights into how our planet came to be and what its future might look like.

During history, the large supercontinent Panagea broke into numerous pieces – each of which eventually became a part of a plate of the lithosphere. Those pieces, our continents, are still in motion and are responsible, among other factors, for earthquakes.

But if we travel enough back in the past, we’ll get to a point where most of the land mass was crumbled together as continents were once joined.

The origin of Pangaea – continental drift hypothesis

In the early 20th century, Alfred Wegener, a German climatologist, geophysicist, and polar researcher, developed his theory of continental drift (or a continental drift hypothesis).

Essentially, the hypothesis revolves around the idea that the Earth’s continents have moved around during its past. The movement was relative to each other, effectively “drifting” across the ocean bed. Although this was on the right track, continents are not drifting as the more complex mechanic of plate tectonics is involved.

World map of Pangaea created by Alfred Wegener to illustrate his concept (Wikimedia)
Alfred Wegener created a world map of Pangaea to illustrate his concept (Wikimedia)

Wegener used the map shown above to illustrate his Panagea concept. Although somewhat simplistic, it was an important step in the right direction toward developing a fully scientific theory supporting the existence of such a supercontinent.

Evidence of existence

Although Wegener established his continental drift hypothesis, he was not the first person to postulate that ancient continents were once joined.

As early as 1596, Brabantian cartographer, Abraham Ortelius, suggested that the seemingly close fit of North America and South America on the one side of the Atlantic Ocean and Europe and Africa on the other was not just a coincidence.

And you can observe additional evidence through the distribution of fossils across the continents and the continuity of mountain ranges (mountain chains).

The distribution of fossils across the continents is one line of evidence pointing to the existence of Pangaea. (Wikimedia)
The distribution of fossils across the continents is one line of evidence pointing to the existence of Pangaea. (Wikimedia)

Pangaea break-up

However, over time, Pangaea started breaking up. The process is still ongoing from the early Permian period (some 225 million years ago) until today.

The breakup of Pangaea over time (Wikimedia, Kious, Jacquelyne; Tilling, Robert I.; Kiger, Martha, Russel, Jane - This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics. (Online ed.). Reston, Virginia, USA: USGS)
The breakup of Pangaea over time (Wikimedia, Kious, Jacquelyne; Tilling, Robert I.; Kiger, Martha, Russel, Jane – This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics. (Online ed.). Reston, Virginia, USA: USGS)

The map of Pangaea on a 3D interactive globe

As mentioned earlier, the initial map was created by Massimo Pietrobon back in 2012. However, during that time, he created an updated map to reflect scientific facts better and published it in 2016. A cleaned-up version of his Pangaea map with political borders is here.

Click on a map for a high-resolution view.

A high-resolution map of Pangaea in equirectangular projection (Massimo Pietrobon)
A high-resolution map of Pangaea in equirectangular projection (Massimo Pietrobon)

3D interactive globe of Pangaea

Thankfully, the new map projection was equirectangular, making it suitable for a projection on a 3D spherical surface.

And that’s what you are looking at right now – an interactive, 3D globe of our planet Earth some 300 million years ago with one supercontinent – Pangaea.

Click around, zoom in ,and zoom out, give it a spin. And see where your country was approximately located on Pangaea.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vibor Cipan

With over 15 years of professional work in technology, Vibor Cipan is a recognized leader in this field. His contributions at Microsoft, where he earned the prestigious MVP title, set the stage for his roles as CEO and Co-Founder of UX Passion, and later on, Point Jupiter, a data-informed agency. There, he led teams that shaped services for over 400 million users globally. His work spans UX design and software development, driving significant contributions in both fields.

Currently immersed in the generative AI sector, Cipan is taking part in projects revolutionizing software development and user engagement. His expertise extends into data viz, analytics and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), where he actively develops proofs of concept and explores AI's role in shaping societal dynamics and national security.

An accomplished author and speaker, Vibor continues to share his insights at international venues, advocating for innovation and a richer understanding of technology's impact on society.

You can follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter/X as @viborc.

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