A BILLION YEARS OF EARTH IN 40 SECONDS

By: The University of Sydney

Photo/Video: Dr Andrew Merdith

Geoscientists have released a video that for the first time shows the uninterrupted movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates over the past billion years. Lead author and creator of the video Dr Andrew Merdith began work on the project while a PhD student with Professor Müller in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. He is now based at the University of Lyon in France.

The international effort provides a scientific framework for understanding planetary habitability and for finding critical metal resources needed for a low-carbon future. It reveals a planet in constant movement as land masses move around the Earth’s surface, for instance showing that Antarctica was once at the equator.