Animated Maps: Tectonic Plate Movement

This set of 41 paleo-elevation models (DEM) represents the changing paleogeography of the oceans and continents back to 540 million years ago (Cambrian-Precambrian Period). The snapshots of ancient elevation and bathymetry, based on the interpretation of the rock record, were estimated for time intervals 5 million years apart. The digital elevation model starts when Pangea split into the supercontinents of Laurasia (northern hemisphere) and Gondwana (southern hemisphere). These two continents subsequently subdivided to form the modern continents and ocean basins. India, which rifted from Gondwana ~100 million years ago collided with Asia to form the Himalaya mountains and Tibetan plateau 50 million years ago. The resolution of the data is 1 geographic degree.

Music: The Wild West by Loya

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[hmnsdnssx]

It's crazy how random and pointless the inevitable shapes of our continents are, and despite that it's so comfortingly safe looking.

[johanna-hypatiacybeleia]

1:04 is very cool as the long thin Cimmerian terranes migrate from Gondwana to Laurasia, then India comes up and smooshes Cimmeria into Asia, making it Tibet. The Cimmerian terranes stretch from Turkey to Malaysia.

[moulinyan]

I hope people take note and notice that this so called “Middle East” land mass is actually part of the African continent and not Asia.

[kristinaray]

I saw the most amazing exhibit at the Perot Science Museum in Dallas and it had a video like this. Super cool!!

[losrin]

The rate at which the indian plate slammed into the eurasian plate was crazy

[ThreeAntsAndARock]

Pretty cool how different the earth was 550 mya

[TerkanTyr]

Cool visualization, very jittery movement though.

I'd love some unscientific tweening of the animations. I'm not really looking at these videos for the specific layout being correct at every moment in time. More for getting an understanding of the general movement and speed.

[purple]

0:30 Philippines emerges from the ocean.

[oniinu]

Oh hey, I live right near Esri's Canadian headquarters, I drive by it every day.

[bz]

AMAZING, and btw the music is awesome

[markbates]

Pangaea earth once rotated North-South. As the continents drifted apart, the center of gravity changed. Causing the earth to rotate West-East. And leading to extinction of dinosaurs due to climate/terrain change. Happened during the Paleocene period according to video.

[Voloncheboroio]

The globe view is much better than projection, why is it so rarely presented this way?

[쑤-fy]

This is amazing I'm gonna use this for my geography class!

[shanmukhavanam]

nice animation and easy to understand. thanks 2 u. :)

[stephanmorales]

Appalachian Mountain range: Used to be the tallest mountain range. Himalayan mountains: Overtook the Appalachian Mountains but is disappearing. The Andes: Going to be the next largest mountain range with the highest mountains. This can be simplified to Appalachian Mountains: Help me. Himalayan mountains: I’ll enjoy my self while my title lasts. Andes *eyeing The Himalayas*: I’m coming for you.

[armorlebihan]

AWSOME THANKS... Quite good understanding how clay is formed through geological time by tectonic mov...Very interesting animation, pleasure for ceramist.

[valerikafromamerica]

Hello, Esri! I'm currently making a video about the geology of the Grand Canyon. Your video is a perfect representation of a picture I'm having in my mind. May I use your video for demonstrative purposes?

[marcusfranconium]

Where would the tectonic plates be in the nest 5 to 25 milion years?

[billdomb]

incredible piece of work. Hard to believe the amount of science going into all of this presentation.

[jewstew]

it’s cool how you can notice that India came crashing so fast into land that it made the tallest mountain in the world