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littlemissmartypants

(25,483 posts)
Thu Nov 23, 2023, 07:31 PM Nov 2023

This Map Lets You Plug in Your Address to See How It's Changed Over the Past 750 Million Years

The interactive tool enables users to home in on a specific location and visualize how it has evolved between the Cryogenian period and the present
Meilan Solly
Associate Editor, History
February 15, 2019

Some 240 million years ago, the patch of land that would one day become the National Mall was part of an enormous supercontinent known as Pangea. Encompassing nearly all of Earth’s extant landmass, Pangea bore little resemblance to our contemporary planet. Thanks to a recently released interactive map, however, interested parties can now superimpose the political boundaries of today onto the geographic formations of yesteryear—at least dating back to 750 million years ago.

The results are intriguing: During the early Triassic epoch, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for example, was wedged almost directly adjacent to Mauritania, yet to be separated from the Northwest African country by the vast waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Ancient Earth, the tool behind this millennia-spanning visualization, is the brainchild of Ian Webster, curator of the world’s largest digital dinosaur database. As Michael D’estries reports for Mother Nature Network, Webster drew on data from the PALEOMAP Project—spearheaded by paleogeographer Christopher Scotese, the initiative tracks the evolving “distribution of land and sea” over the past 1.1 billion years—to build the map.

Users can input a specific address or more generalized region, such as a state or country, and then choose a date ranging from zero to 750 million years ago. Currently, the map offers 26 timeline options, traveling back from the present to the Cryogenian period at intervals of 15 million to 150 million years.

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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/map-lets-you-plug-your-address-see-how-neighborhood-has-changed-over-past-750-million-years-180971507/

❤️pants

21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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This Map Lets You Plug in Your Address to See How It's Changed Over the Past 750 Million Years (Original Post) littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 OP
I love this kind of stuff. JohnnyRingo Nov 2023 #1
Me too! You're welcome. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #2
Thanks so much, I've always wanted to see what our area looked like millions and millions of years SWBTATTReg Nov 2023 #3
You're welcome, SWBTATTReg. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #4
heck, I'm always interested in how it looked 100 years ago Skittles Nov 2023 #5
I'd love to see COL Mustard Nov 2023 #8
They might exist somewhere. I suppose it depends on the town. littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #16
I understand, Skittles. Me too. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #15
AND Skittles Nov 2023 #21
That is cool. tclambert Nov 2023 #6
Glad you liked it. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #14
So cool! WVreaper Nov 2023 #7
Probably just a rounding error. Permanut Nov 2023 #9
... littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #12
... littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #11
Insanely cool. Permanut Nov 2023 #10
Thanks for your reply, Permanut. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #13
Wow. Florida was under water much longer than the rest of the US. MichaelSoE Nov 2023 #17
Cycle of lifestyle. Change happens constantly throughout the millions of years. jimfields33 Nov 2023 #18
So interesting! Had no idea that Pangea looked like that. Wonderful! Quite a bit of water around then! Judi Lynn Nov 2023 #19
It really is! I created ten or so subject tabs of each epoch and some of the creatures to read today. littlemissmartypants Nov 2023 #20

SWBTATTReg

(24,085 posts)
3. Thanks so much, I've always wanted to see what our area looked like millions and millions of years
Thu Nov 23, 2023, 08:19 PM
Nov 2023

ago! This is so neat!

littlemissmartypants

(25,483 posts)
16. They might exist somewhere. I suppose it depends on the town.
Fri Nov 24, 2023, 02:10 AM
Nov 2023

More evidence of the importance of our elders. ❤️

WVreaper

(649 posts)
7. So cool!
Thu Nov 23, 2023, 09:54 PM
Nov 2023

Thanks for turning everyone on to the link. But I thought the earth was only 6000 years old, where's the button for 6000 years ago. Only asking for a non friend.

MichaelSoE

(1,576 posts)
17. Wow. Florida was under water much longer than the rest of the US.
Fri Nov 24, 2023, 06:03 AM
Nov 2023

It looks like it's heading that way again , eh?!

Judi Lynn

(162,384 posts)
19. So interesting! Had no idea that Pangea looked like that. Wonderful! Quite a bit of water around then!
Fri Nov 24, 2023, 01:59 PM
Nov 2023

This material will stick in readers' minds for quite a while, LMSP!

Thank you.

littlemissmartypants

(25,483 posts)
20. It really is! I created ten or so subject tabs of each epoch and some of the creatures to read today.
Fri Nov 24, 2023, 02:57 PM
Nov 2023

So much there to unpack.

That our planet is fifty percent or more water and that we know so little about the contents blows my mind, too.

Thanks so much for your reply and encouraging words, Judi Lynn. I really enjoy your posts!

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