The 540 Million Year History of the USA

This animated map shows the movement of the land that now makes up the United States (outlined in red) over the course of 540 million years. It was recorded from the Pangea Map, a new interactive map that “lets you explore 540 million years of continental drift, from the Cambrian explosion all the way to the present day”.

Maps such as Esri's Dance of the Continents, GPlates and Ancient Earth Globe already allow you to explore how the Earth has changed over time through shifting plate tectonics and continental drift.

The Pangea Map includes a couple of neat features that make this new map also worth exploring. First, it offers three different views of Earth's 540-million-year history: a Mercator projection, a Natural Earth projection and a 3D globe. 

Another feature allows you to visualise the geological history of any country in the world. Enter a country name into the search bar and it is highlighted in red on the map, allowing you to see where its landmass was located at any point in Earth's history. This makes it possible to follow how the land that now makes up a country has moved around the planet over hundreds of millions of years.