The continents are moving. When will they collide? - Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl

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Published 2023-03-02
Dig into the science of plate tectonics to find out when the next supercontinent will emerge— and how it could affect Earth’s environment.

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In the early 20th century, Alfred Wegener's theory of Continental Drift laid the foundation for our modern theory of plate tectonics. And today we know something even more exciting: Pangea was only the latest in a long lineage of supercontinents, and it won’t be the last. Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl explores when the next supercontinent will emerge — and what it might mean for Earth’s environment.

Lesson by Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl, directed by Iuri Araujo, Província Studio.

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All Comments (21)
  • As a person who was alive for the past 50 million years, I can confirm this is true.
  • @omega-xk4gj
    Bold of you to assume humans will exist after 50 million years
  • As a person who live back in Pangea, I hope it really returns as they said. Ahhh the nostalgia
  • As a tectonic plate, I can confirm this is what really happens
  • It'd be really cool to see a sci-fi story about the far future in which the Earth's continents have inevitably merged together.
  • @GROWITHMUSIC
    Super interesting, as always TED-Ed. Thanks! I think in less than 50 million years we would already be exploring space.
  • A few days ago i was talking about this exact method of somehow sending back the carbon and storing them under ground as rock or carbon solids. We have invented enough machines to produce greenhouse gasses in all different ways but still stuck with trees to have them disposed. So, we might have to find ways to get the carbon in the atmosphere to be stored as carbon rich rocks under ground putting them back where they belong.
  • @halogen92r-
    With such a dynamic planet as ours, it very easy for evidence of past civilisations to turn to dust
  • New Continent: I 'm here Mass Destruction: Ohh, Hello there!
  • This is a fabulous presentation! Thank you!! YOu have just enough intrigue woven through it to peak my students' interest without freaking them out.
  • The fact I ethnically belong to Himalayas and live there and the fact we have been getting warning that a earthquake due to tectonic plates movements larger than that of Turkey can hit us anytime soon... and this video came I my recommendation.
  • Alligning with myself is the movement I'm intrested in! That actually has more effect on my life than the moving continents IMHO.:hand-pink-waving:
  • 50 million years to come up with a solution Cameraman: Time is but an idea.
  • I LIKE THE WAY HOW HUMANS ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT ISSUES THAT ARE GONNA HAPPEN IN MILLIONS OF YEARS BUT THE CURRENT PROBLEMS.
  • @gutlu8311
    Is there a way to collect the the energy release during an earthquake?...I mean if we could redirect that force into a different channel maybe we'll be able to reduce the destruction.