Plate techtonics: things were not always where they are now!

 Cool video shows the shifts in the earth's surface

The continents and islands and the shapes of all land forms on the earth's surface have changed a lot over the millions of years of the earth's long history.  The science of shifts in the surface of the earth is called plate tectonics. At the time when dinosaurs roamed the planet our continents were not located where they are today.

The shape of the continents in the Jurassic

Dinosaurs of the Jurassic period

If you look at the maps above you can see how the present day continents shifted from their ancient locations to where they presently are now. You can also see what some of the creatures that were alive at that time, in the Jurassic period, looked like. The Jurassic period was the classic 'age of the dinosaurs'.  

Thanks to some scientists that created the video below, you can see a billion years of plate tectonics in less than a minute. This interesting model can show you how all of our continents have shifted over millions of years, enjoy!

Question: Where you aware that the earth's surface has shifted over its history?

 See a billion years of Earth plate tectonics movement in just 40 seconds

A Billion Years in 40 Seconds: Mesmerizing Video Reveals the Evolution Our Dynamic Planet