(Image source from: sciencealert.com)

The planet Earth evolved millions of years ago and it underwent several changes over these generations. The tectonic plates have changed the face of the earth and there are seven continents and five oceans on earth now. Several researchers revealed that the tectonic plates are not finished and the earth is still in the evolving phase. Earth is expected to have massive changes in the next 250 million years. The researchers from NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies kept a close look at the evolution of tectonics. There are a lot of predictions about the changes in the earth due to the increase in the brightness of the Sun and a slower rotation rate. Two different scenarios are predicted by these researchers.

The study has been published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. The first prediction says that the present-day continents will soon be formed into a single mass near the equator. The other case says that the rest of the continents will move towards the north of the equator. Pangaea was formed 310 million years ago and it started breaking from 180 million years ago. The new supercontinent is expected to form 200-250 years later. This says that the earth is about halfway from the scattered phase of the supercontinent cycle. The researchers are investigating about the climate of the earth in the future because of the continental movements.

There are also predictions about two new continents Aurica and Amasia. Aurica will develop in the next 250 million years and Amasia will take shape after 200 million years.

By Siva Kumar