PLATE TECTONICS THEORY

• Pangaea

  The super continent that was composed of all the landmasses on Earth during the late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic eras.
• Laurasia

  One of the two supercontinents (the other being Gondwanaland) that resulted from the splitting of Pangaea about 200 million years ago; encompassed the entire Eurasia, Greenland, and North America
• Gondawanaland

  A supercontinent coexisting with Laurasia; contained Antarctica, South America, Africa, India, and Australia.
• Paleomagnetism

  Study in the changes of the Earth's magnetic field over millions of years; the minerals (such as magnetite) of magma that cools gets magnetized and align with the Earth's magnetic field of one specific time.
• Hotspot

  Focused locale where hot plumes rise and melt the crust, forming volcanic features and activities; an example is the Hawaiian Hot Spot