Gondwanaland
Southern prehistoric continent
Gondwanaland is the ancient supercontinent that once comprised the southern landmasses—South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent.
It began breaking apart roughly 180 million years ago, eventually forming the continents we know today.
The term appears in geology and evolutionary biology to explain species distributions and geological similarities across now-separated lands.
Also called Gondwana.
Combined planetary landmass
- PangaeaPrehistoric unified landmass
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- plate tectonicsEarth's crust mobility theory
- riftCrack or estrangement
breakup · craton · tectonic · sedimentary · fossil record · orogenic · shield · collision
Southernmost continental landmass
- AustraliaSouthern Hemisphere continent-country
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
- IndiaSouth Asian republic
Madagascar · New Zealand · Arabian Peninsula · southern hemisphere · Indian subcontinent · Patagonia · Falkland · Sri Lanka
Science of species distribution
- endemicNative to one area
- TriassicFirst Mesozoic period
- PermianLate Paleozoic geological period
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
dinosaur · coal deposits · vertebrate · migration · evolution · speciation · shared ancestry · fossil evidence
Ice sheet spreading process
- ice sheetThick glacial landmass covering
- CarboniferousCoal-depositing geological period
- striationParallel linear marking
- paleoclimatePast geological climate conditions
glacial deposits · moraine · warming · sea level · isotope · ice cap
supercontinent
Combined planetary landmass
- PangaeaPrehistoric unified landmass
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- plate tectonicsEarth's crust mobility theory
rift · breakup · craton · tectonic · sedimentary · fossil record · orogenic · shield · collision · separation
Antarctica
Southernmost continental landmass
- AustraliaSouthern Hemisphere continent-country
- South AmericaWestern Hemisphere's southern continent
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
India · Madagascar · New Zealand · Arabian Peninsula · southern hemisphere · Indian subcontinent · Patagonia · Falkland · Sri Lanka · Seychelles
biogeography
Science of species distribution
extinction · dinosaur · coal deposits · vertebrate · migration · evolution · speciation · shared ancestry · fossil evidence
glaciation
Ice sheet spreading process
- ice sheetThick glacial landmass covering
- CarboniferousCoal-depositing geological period
- striationParallel linear marking
paleoclimate · glacial deposits · moraine · warming · sea level · isotope · ice cap
GondwanalandAfrica
Second-largest continent
South America · Antarctica · Australia · Indian subcontinent · continental drift
Gondwana, land, lands, landed, landing, landless, landlord, landowner, landmass