Australia Gallery

Continental drift after 250 million years

Continental drift after 250 million years, showing the supercontinent of Pangea Ultima, which was named for the ancient supercontinent of Pangea. Pangea began to break up some 200 million years before the modern era, and around 450 million years before the formation of Pangea Ultima. Some of the shapes of todays continents are still visible. Several such supercontinents have formed in the 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth

© MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Earths volcanoes and earthquakes

Earth's volcanoes and earthquakes. Map of the Earth, centred on the American continents, showing the location of earthquakes (yellow dots) and volcanoes (red triangles). These are concentrated along the boundaries (red lines) of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust. These tectonic plates move over the molten rock below them, colliding with and moving past, under and over each other. Immense pressures can build up, which are released during an earthquake. Where a plate is being destroyed under another one (seen around the Pacific Ocean), volcanoes form as the molten rock rises to the surface. Volcanoes can also form at isolated hotspots, such as Hawaii

© GARY HINCKS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

17th century world map

World map, published around 1664 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Dutch mapmaker Joan Blaeu (c.1599- 1673). The Latin title is Nova et Accuratissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula (new and accurate all world map). Blaeu's maps built on those made by Mercator and Hondius in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The Blaeu maps emphasized fine art and colours, being the most expensive of the time. Two mapmakers are shown at upper right and upper left, together with a wide variety of mythical beings. The poorly-mapped regions include the far north and south, parts of the Americas (left-hand hemisphere), and the Far East. The western coast of Australia (New Holland) was discovered in 1616

© LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, GEOGRAPHY AND MAP DIVISION/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY