What is Gondwana?
Q: What is Gondwana?
A: Gondwana was a southern supercontinent that was formed when Pangaea broke up 170 million years ago.
Q: How did Pangaea split and why?
A: Pangaea split 250 million years ago into two smaller supercontinents called Laurasia and Gondwana. It split due to plate tectonics.
Q: What were the landmasses included in Gondwana?
A: Gondwana included most of the landmasses in today's southern hemisphere such as South America, Africa, Antarctica, Madagascar, Australia-New Guinea, and New Zealand.
Q: What happened to the northern part of Pangaea?
A: The northern part of Pangaea became a smaller supercontinent called Laurasia.
Q: What caused the break-up of Gondwana?
A: Plate tectonics caused the break-up of Gondwana in the mid-Jurassic period about 170 million years ago.
Q: Did Gondwana include parts of the northern hemisphere?
A: Yes, Gondwana originally included China, Siberia, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent, but these areas have now moved entirely into the Northern Hemisphere.
Q: What is the age of Pangaea?
A: Pangaea is about 250 million years old.
