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In the future, the world may witness the formation of a new supercontinent, following the shrinking and disappearance of the Pacific Ocean over the next 200 - 300 million years. Researchers at Curtin University in Australia and Peking University have utilized a supercomputer to model the drifting tectonic plates of Earth and the formation of a supercontinent in the future.Continents on Earth have collided over the past 2 billion years to form a supercontinent roughly every 600 million years, a period known as the supercontinent cycle. This also means that the current continents will converge again in a few hundred million years, according to the lead author of the study.
Observations show that the Pacific Ocean is currently shrinking at about 2.5 cm per year. Calculations suggest that in less than 300 million years, the Pacific Ocean will shrink and make way for the formation of Amasia - the name of the new continent. The reason for this name is because many believe that unlike the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Pacific Ocean will close as the Americas collide with Asia.Australia will also play a significant role in this event, as when Australia collides with Asia, it connects the Americas and Asia as the Pacific Ocean contracts. Experts believe that the new supercontinent will form at the top of the Earth and tilt towards the southern hemisphere.
When Amasia forms, it is predicted that sea levels will be lower and the interior of the supercontinent will be very arid, with high daily temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the climate will be altered, especially as old ocean currents are shifted due to continental collisions, creating new ocean currents.The Pacific Ocean stands as the eldest of all oceans on Earth. This vast expanse of water holds the remnants of the ancient superocean Panthalassa, formed some 700 million years ago, even predating the dawn of Pangea. Pangea, the colossal landmass, took shape around 320 million years ago, only to fragment roughly 170-180 million years ago, during an era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.As reported by CNN
