Voyage of the Continents

Asia was involved in two of the greatest mass extinctions on earth. 251 million years ago the Siberian traps erupted in a massive two million year long volcanic eruption. Scientist speculate that life on land may have survived this cataclysm only because and large island, now south China, drifted apart from Gandwana. More recently India passed over a hot spot opening up the Deccan traps, another major eruption that occurred the same time the dinosaurs went extinct.

Scientists examine geological formations of Asia to understand their impact on the people living there. The collision of India with Asia is squeezing the Tibetan Plateau between two mountain ranges and pushing China to the east creating faults leading to severe earthquakes that have cost many lives in Tibet and Sichuan Province. After breaking off from Asia Japan now sits at the collision point of three tectonic plates making it prone to volcanoes, powerful earthquakes and tsunamis. And Indonesia has a large collection of volcanoes.

Australia is the most stable continent on earth. That makes it an ideal location for scientists to study the early earth with 4.4 billion year old zircons and 2.6 billion year old stromatolites and thrombolites that created our oxygen atmosphere. But now the Australian Tectonic Plate is colliding with the Pacific Plate joining the ring of fire. In the north the collision created the Vanuatu Archipelago of 80 volcanic islands. In the east the collision is raising New Zealnd causing some 14,000 earthquakes each year.

Europe is a continent of mountain ranges. Multiple collisions with other tectonic plates created multiple mountain ranges covering much of this relatively small continent, Some are so large they extend to other continents. One range, the Alps, is still being created by the collision with the African Techtonic Plate. The rest, due to erosion, are past their prime and one has almost completed eroded away.

Africa's on again off again dance with Europe causes dramatic changes in the Medeterranean region and ongoing dangers from earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. In the not so distant past the sea was cut off from Earths oceans causing it to evaporate before being refilled when the Strait of Gibraltar reopened.