This is what the globe or parts of it look like today. (Image source: Pixabay/SmallmanA)
The earth’s surface is constantly moving, even if very slowly. Entire continents are pushing towards each other or drifting away at the speed of growing fingernails. The phenomenon is therefore called continental drift or plate tectonics. Using this knowledge and complex simulations, scientists can calculate what the Earth once looked like and what it will look like in the distant future.
An interesting question is also where the countries of the world would be located. The map from the following Reddit post gets to the bottom of this and shows, among other things, where Europey could be in 250 million years.
Link to Reddit content
The Federal Republic would therefore be relatively far north on the new supercontinent Pangea Ultima (also called Pangea Proxima or Neopangea). Luckily, because according to one of the huge landmass, current study probably only the northernmost areas are habitable. Mammals would have a hard time on the rest of the supercontinent – it would simply be too hot. We are talking about temperatures beyond 50 degrees:
Temperatures on Pangea Ultima. (Image source: Nature.com)
The future supercontinent owes its name to its ancestor Pangaea, which existed from around 325 million to 150 million years before our time. Pangea was probably not the first of its kind.
It is believed that the continents joined together to form a supercontinent called Columbia 1,800 to 1,500 million years ago.
400 million years later, 1,100 to 750 million years before our time, the supercontinent Rodinia is also said to have existed.
There are various models for future supercontinents
Pangea Ultima, which encircles the Indian Ocean, is just one of several possible supercontinents that could form in the next 250 million years. The researchers’ mainframes essentially spit out three additional models (via NASA Center for Climate Simulation):
- auric: The theory is that Eurasia will split in two as Australia and Antarctica move north and then collide with eastern Eurasia and the Americas. At the same time, western Eurasia and Africa collide with America from the other side.
- Amazin: Here America and Asia join together over the North Pole, while Africa and Australia push north to join the newly formed Amasian continent. Only Antarctica is left out.
- Novopangaea (not to be confused with Neopangea): The scenario is very similar to Amasia. However, Antarctica also joins the new supercontinent here.
What do you all mean? Will we humans still exist in 250 million years? And if so, will something like Europey be remembered? Feel free to write it to us in the comments!
