Saturday, January 16, 2010

Don't Say I Didn't Give You The Option To Learn Something Today

clipped from www.scotese.com

This animation shows the changing location of the Earth's  climatic
belts through time.  The legend to the left of the maps illustrates the position and
width of the modern climatic belts.

Notice how the climatic belts are more or less fixed.  The continents
move through the different belts.

In the past, the width of the climatic belts has changed. When the Earth
is in an  Ice House phase, the Polar and Cool Temperate belts  expand ( 0, 300,
630 million years ago).  During Hot House times, the Arid and Warm Temperate belts
expand  (100, 200, & 400 million years ago).

When the continents are gathered together in a Pangea, the wet tropical
belt sometimes disappears.

Click through to scotese.com, left click on the map and drag your cursor right and left. Pretty interesting when you can watch it happen at your direction, huh?