The grown picture of Earth ’s geologic account over the last 2 billion years is of Continent get together and then recrudesce asunder every 600 million years or so . A future rejoining is inevitable , but geologists have long argue whether it will occur when the Americas ’ west seashore run into Asia , or if their east coast will recombine with Europe and Africa . inquiry in 2022 concluded that fundamental changes have occur deeply within the Earth , so only the former scenario is now possible .
A joining of the continent leaves most of the mankind to be look at up with a unmarried huge ocean , the episodic island aside . During the meter ofPangea , the last universal supercontinent , this was known asPanthalassa .
Once the continents start to break up , the world has two or more great body of urine – internal ones surrounded by the spreading landmasses , and an external one the continents are affect into . The Atlantic and Indian oceans are the remnants of premature internal sea , while the Pacific is what became of Panthalassa , via the outside sea .
A likely outline of Amasia 280 million years in the future, including some areas currently underwater, which will be exposed by lower sea levels. Image credit: Curtin University
Modern supercontinents can shape by the closure of either the internal or external oceans . At least that is what Professor Zheng - Xiang Li of Curtin University argues has been potential in the past . Now , however , the Earth has pass a point where only external oceans can shut , Li and conscientious objector - writer close in research published in the journalNational Science Reviewin 2022 , making the Pacific ’s dying inevitable .
The Atlantic is presently growing at a pace of a few centimeters a class , while the Pacific is funk at a similar speed , so it ’s easy to extrapolate the closure of what is now the earthly concern ’s declamatory sea washbowl . geologist have done this previously , name it Amasia , which , Li told IFLScience , will take 280 million years to form from thepieces of Pangeaat current rate .
However , in the preceding such trends have sometimes reversed , with the continent coming back together , concertina - like , to reclose the internal ocean .
That , the paper claims , is no longer potential . The source ’ modelling suggest continental movement depend heavily on the potency of the oceanic incrustation between them . Only when the crust is hard can continent change direction and reunite across untested internal ocean .
Counterintuitively , as the blanket has cool , the oceanic crust forming atop it has become thinner and therefore imperfect . Li and co - authors find that around 540 million years ago , the Earth ’s temperature cooled enough that the Earth’s crust weaken to a period where reversals like this can no longer take place . Therefore Amasia – and indeed all next supercontinents – will be formed by passageway across the external sea .
Along with the Americas ’ westward march and Asia ’s eastward migration , Australia will move north until it collide with Indonesia and is carried into what is now the South Pacific .
Antarctica has long been anchor at the bottom of the world , but Li recount IFLScience its future movement are “ hard to tell ” . Nevertheless , he considers it most likely it will also move into the Pacific , adding that a zone it can shift into “ already seems to be imprint towards New Zealand . ”
Someprevious predictionshave hint Amasia would come together around the North Pole , create an enormous ice crownwork and cool the major planet . However , Li told IFLScience , the larger Continent ’ latitude are unconvincing to change . That does n’t mean the Earth will remain as hospitable as it has been during our organic evolution .
" Earth as we know it will be drastically different when Amasia forms . The sea degree is expect to be lower , and the vast Interior Department of the supercontinent will be very desiccated with high daily temperature ranges , " Li say in astatement .
An early version of this articlewas publishedin October 2022 .
