Britain’s Billion Year Journey

Rodinia – the first supercontinent

Between 1 billion and 620 million years ago, the continental crust formerly known as Great Britain formed a small portion of a vast supercontinent called Rodinia (due to the formation of the later supercontinent Pangea). 500 million years ago). All of Great Britain lies south of the equator, some 60 degrees further than Australia, making it the southernmost point in what is now South America. This supercontinent breakup began about 760 million years ago, giving birth to her second supercontinent known as the “Vendian” supercontinent.

England divided into two parts

This breakup of her second landmass formed a small ocean called Iapetus. Nuclear fission completed 550 million years ago. On the west side of the Iapetus Sea was the continent of Laurentia (now North America), and on the east side was the land called Gondwana (South America, Africa, Asia, Australia). “Britain” was divided between these continents. The northern part of Great Britain, including Scotland, was on the Laurentian continent, and the southern part was on the Gondwana continent. It took another 100 million years for the South of England and Scotland to finally meet…

A portion of Gondwana, including Great Britain and Ireland, separated from the main part of Gondwana 475 million years ago. Called Avalonia, this land made its way across the newly formed Iapetus Sea and finally met Laurentia about 440 million years ago. During part of this transition, the continental crust that makes up Great Britain was underwater. By this time the continents had already moved around the globe and Britain was approaching the equator.

After Avalonia was the vast continent of Gondwana, which slowly approached Laurentia and blocked the Sea of ​​Iapetus. When this was completed 300 million years ago, it formed the youngest supercontinent, Pangea. 250 million years ago, England was completely surrounded by the middle of Pangea. There was a sea called Tethys that separated most of Africa from Europe and Asia. Previously, continents were unrecognizable, but after the collapse of Pangea 140 million years ago, when dinosaurs were just reaching their richest diversity, Earth began to resemble what we can recognize today. . But England was part of an archipelago or series of islands. Again most were in the water. The Atlantic began to form when North America separated from Europe, and 80 million years ago also separated South America and Africa. At the same time, Africa and Europe joined forces to blockade the Tethys Sea.