Watch How Our Earth Has Evolved Over the Past Billion Years – in Just 40 Seconds!

Thanks to geoscientists from the University of Sydney, Australia, it is possible to watch a 40-second video that shows to what extent the tectonic plates that cover the Earth have traveled across the planet over a billion years.

“Planet Earth is incredibly dynamic, with the surface composed of plates that constantly jostle each other in a way unique among the known rocky planets,” says geoscientist Sabin Zahirovic. “These plates move at the speed fingernails grow, but when a billion years is condensed into 40 seconds, a mesmerizing dance is revealed. Oceans open and close, continents disperse and periodically recombine to form immense supercontinents.”

Through understanding how tectonic plates move, scientists can predict how habitable our planet will be in the future. More than just a covering surface, tectonics play a role in climate, tidal patterns, animal movement and evolution, volcanic activity, and metal production. The scientists hope the video will act as a useful resource to further the study of tectonic movements and their impact on everything that lives on the planet.