When those two continents split 65 million years ago what were formed?

When Continents Collide and Oceans are Born: Earth’s Wild Makeover 65 Million Years Ago

Sixty-five million years ago, Earth was a totally different ballgame. Dinosaurs were on their way out, and the planet was gearing up for some seriously major changes, both geologically and biologically. Sure, continents are always shifting and splitting over eons, but around this time, things really got interesting. We’re talking new oceans popping up, mountain ranges erupting skyward, and the stage being set for mammals to take over the world.

The Great Pangaea Breakup and the Birth of the Atlantic

Okay, so Pangaea, that supercontinent we all learned about, had already started breaking up way before 65 million years ago. But it was during this period that the Atlantic Ocean really started to take shape. Think of it like a slow-motion explosion, but instead of fire, you get water.

• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Earth’s Giant Zipper: This underwater mountain range is basically where the Earth’s crust is being pulled apart, like a zipper slowly unzipping. Magma bubbles up, cools, and forms new crust, pushing the continents on either side further and further apart. It’s still happening today, widening the Atlantic by about the same rate your fingernails grow – around 2.5 centimeters a year.
• Continents on the Move: As the Atlantic widened, North America started its westward journey, leaving Europe and Africa in its rearview mirror. This created brand new coastlines and all sorts of new habitats near the shore. Imagine the real estate opportunities!

India Crashes into Asia: Hello Himalayas!

While the Atlantic was busy spreading, something even more dramatic was happening on the other side of the planet. India, which had broken off from the supercontinent Gondwana, was on a collision course with Asia, and it was moving FAST.

• Speed Demon Plate: Seriously, this wasn’t your grandma’s tectonic plate. India was zooming north at about 20 cm per year. Some scientists think it was like greasing the wheels, with a mantle plume (think supervolcano) making it easier for India to slide along.
• The Himalayas Rise: BAM! India slammed into the Eurasian plate, and the result was the Himalayas, the tallest mountains on Earth, and the Tibetan Plateau. It wasn’t a one-time event, more like a drawn-out fender-bender. The collision probably started with an island arc around 50 million years ago, followed by the main event with the continent around 40 million years ago. And guess what? They’re still growing, as India keeps pushing into Asia at about 4 mm per year. Talk about a growth spurt!

The Deccan Traps: Volcanoes Gone Wild

Around the same time, about 66 million years ago, India was also dealing with some serious volcanic activity. We’re talking about the Deccan Traps, a massive volcanic region in what’s now west-central India.

• Epic Eruptions: These weren’t your average volcanoes. The Deccan Traps are HUGE, covering an area of about 500,000 square kilometers with layers of hardened lava over 2 kilometers thick. Originally, they might have covered three times that area!
• Environmental Mayhem: These eruptions spewed out crazy amounts of greenhouse gases, likely messing with the climate and contributing to a mass extinction. Some scientists think the Deccan Traps were a major factor in the dinosaur’s demise, either on their own or in combination with the asteroid impact. It’s like a double whammy of destruction.

The Big One: The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction

All this continental shifting and volcanic activity was happening during one of Earth’s biggest shakeups: the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

• Asteroid Apocalypse: A giant asteroid or comet smashed into the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, creating the Chicxulub crater. The impact was like a planet-sized bomb, triggering tsunamis, firestorms, and massive climate shifts.
• Goodbye Dinosaurs: About 75% of plant and animal species bit the dust, including all the non-avian dinosaurs. It was a clean slate for the planet, marking the end of the Cretaceous period and the start of the Paleogene.

A New Earth Emerges

The geological chaos of 65 million years ago – the continental split, the India-Asia collision, the Deccan Traps eruptions, and the asteroid impact – gave Earth a serious makeover. New oceans and mountains were born, a mass extinction wiped the slate clean, and the stage was set for mammals to rise and eventually, for us to be here writing (and reading!) about it all. And the Earth keeps on turning, shaped by the same forces that were at play during that wild time in our planet’s history. It really makes you think, doesn’t it?