Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth’s continents were not scattered as they are today. Instead, they were united in a massive supercontinent called Pangaea. As this supercontinent formed about 335 million years ago, immense tectonic forces brought landmasses together. These collisions caused the Earth’s crust to fold, buckle, and rise, creating a colossal mountain range that stretched across what is now North America, Europe, and Africa. This ancient range is known as the Central Pangean Mountains.
At their peak, these mountains were as majestic and towering as today’s Himalayas, with rugged peaks and vast ridges. The rocks that formed them were shaped by the intense heat and pressure of the collisions, transforming into hard, crystalline forms like gneiss and schist. This mighty range spanned thousands of miles, connecting what are now the Scottish Highlands, the Appalachians in North America, and the Atlas Mountains in Africa.
But time and tectonic forces didn’t let this mountain range remain whole. Around 175 million years ago, Pangaea began to break apart as tectonic plates shifted. The supercontinent split into smaller continents, and the Atlantic Ocean slowly opened, pushing North America, Europe, and Africa away from one another. This rift tore the Central Pangean Mountains into separate pieces. What was once a unified range was now scattered across different continents.
Today, remnants of this ancient mountain chain can still be found. The Scottish Highlands, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Atlas Mountains, though separated by vast oceans, share a common origin. Geologists have confirmed this connection through the study of similar rock types, ages, and structures across these ranges. These fragments of the Central Pangean Mountains stand as a testament to Earth’s dynamic history, reminding us of the incredible power of plate tectonics and the story of a world that was once whole.
The Lost Mountains of Pangaea: Tracing Earth’s Ancient Peaks
