Plate Tectonics is the unifying theory of geology. Since the concept was formalized in the late 1960's, the Theory of Plate Tectonics has been invaluable in helping geoscientists understand the dynamics of our planet.

This exercise will permit you to reconstruct a map of the Earth as it appeared at any time during the last 150 million years. This possible because geologists have been able to deduce the tectonic history of the planet using a broad array of geological and geophysical data.

Now, on to the time machine!

1. Go to the Plate Tectonic Reconstruction Service. Scroll down to the interactive interface and note that a number of parameters have been selected as defaults for the map generator. Click on the "Generate Map" button to see what the output will look like.

2. Once you have become familiar with the interface, experiment by choosing different map projections and different time intervals.

3. To complete your assignment, you will create a series of maps showing the break-up of Pangea. Set the time interval to 150 million years ago and generate a map. Create successive maps at 25 million year intervals to watch how plate tectonic processes rifted the continents and moved them to their present locations.

Are the plates still in motion today? The global distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes indicates that they are. If you want to know how fast the plate where you live is moving, go to the Plate Motion Calculator.

1. Choose the "Present-Day Absolute Plate Motion" option on this site.

2. Determine the latitude and longitude of your location and calculate your plate motion.

3. The results of this calculator tell you the velocity and direction that your plate is moving at the present time.