Should Scotese s hypothesis become a reality, most of the world s countries will likely merge over the next hundreds of millions of years into a single, arch-shaped landmass.
But maps show even if this happens, New Zealand is likely to be one of just a few island nations to retain their independence from the rest of the world.
One map suggests Aotearoa will be the second-largest island outside of the main Pangaea landmass, with just Chukotka - which is now a far-east region of Russia - bigger after splitting off to sit west of Canada. A map of Pangaea Proxima. Photo credit: Unknown
One half of Earth is cooling faster than the other, researchers have discovered.
The side of the planet which contains the Pacific Ocean is losing heat at a more rapid rate than the half which contains Africa, Europe and Asia.
Scientists believe the discrepancy is because the Pacific hemisphere has been covered with more ocean than the other half for the last 400 million years and land is a better insulator than water.
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Pictured, total mantle heat loss (oceanic + continental + hotspots) and its distribution between the hemispheres over 400million years
Scientists from the University of Oslo split the globe in half down the 60 degree longitude line, not the Prime Meridian.