Prehistoric life
A vast desert formed in Earth's prehistoric past when the supercontinent of Pangaea straddled the equator and stretched to the poles. Pangaea's position influenced ocean circulation patterns, and its huge size meant that there were vast areas where moist air from the oceans never penetrated. The north east of the continent, coastal areas and the poles had water aplenty, but elsewhere deserts ruled supreme. Many of the bright red rocks of the Late Permian and Triassic are from this desert period. They often contain chunks of gypsum and other salts left by evaporating lakes since, when rain came, it was likely to be as monsoon-type deluges.
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Britain's desert dunes
Scotland's red sandstone tells of a time when vast sand dunes covered Britain.
Scotland's red sandstone tells of a time when vast sand dunes covered Britain. This programme was first shown in 1997.
Dinosaur attack
Adult Cynodonts leave the nest to hunt, leaving their vulnerable pups.
Adult Cynodonts leave the nest to hunt, leaving their vulnerable pups.
Border dispute
There's only room for one Postosuchus in a dry valley territory.
There's only room for one Postosuchus in a dry valley territory.
Flying reptile
Extra-long fingers allow Triassic Pterosaurs to hunt for dragonflies in flight.
Extra-long fingers allow Triassic Pterosaurs to hunt for dragonflies in flight.
Mammal in the making
Cynodonts are shown to be a missing link between reptiles and mammals.
Cynodonts are shown to be a missing link between reptiles and mammals.
Pangaea, Pangæa, or Pangea ( /pænˈdʒiːə/ pan-JEE-ə;) was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, forming about 300 million years ago and beginning to rift around 200 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configurations. The single global ocean which surrounded Pangaea is accordingly named Panthalassa.
The name Pangaea is derived from Ancient Greek, pan (πᾶν) meaning "entire," and Gaia (Γαῖα) meaning "Earth." The name was coined during a 1927 symposium discussing Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift. In his book The Origin of Continents and Oceans (Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane), first published in 1915, he postulated that all the continents had at one time formed a single supercontinent which he called the "Urkontinent", before later breaking up and drifting to their present locations.
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Postosuchus
Dinosaurs
Coelophysis
Sea scorpions
Synapsids
Placerias
