Drifting Continents Story By Lauren McNamara

I have been working on time travelling machines in my basement ever since 6th grade. One day when I was in 8th grade and we were learning about the formation of the continents over millions of years, I knew what I had to do. Something in my brain just clicked, so when I got home, I ran down to my time travelling machine, and attached new wires and fed it more electricity. After a week or so when all the mistakes were fixed, I knew I should test it out. An idea popped straight into my head. What could be better than learning and physically studying the formation of Earth? So, I took off with my dog, Maggie, and went back 500 million years ago.

All of a sudden, my time machine crashed with a loud thud. I went 500 million years back in time! My dog, Maggie, immediately got out and started sniffing the barren land, although there wasn't much to smell. All I saw were rocks. There were no sight of trees, plants, or animals yet on this land, known as Taconic Island Arc (Bronson Hill). The TIA will soon be a part of North America in a few million years, and will be known as Massachusetts, along with other (soon-to-be) states, which will make up New England. The TIA used to be a part of Africa, but then it broke off and is now floating towards North America. Also, another thing about the TIA is that it is covered with volcanoes! Better hop back in my time machine now!

When I reached the TIA once again, except this time I went back 455 million years ago from present day, it has finally collided into North America. I’m starting to see mountains form around me as Maggie runs around the base of them. These mountains will soon become the Berkshire Mountains/Hills. On the western side of the Berkshires, I see a taller mountain, one that is growing to become Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts at an elevation of 3,488 feet. Along side Mount Greylock are clusters of smaller mountains, known today as the Taconic Mountains. Avalon, another plate broke free of the united African-South American continent (South America & Africa) and is heading towards North America, also like the TIA. It holds land that came to be Boston. I better get Maggie and go back in my time machine again!

I reached Avalon, which meant I went back 420 million years ago, after it crashed against North America. It looks like the layers of this land folded up in a up-and-down pattern. Now I am starting to see huge mountains, which are forming in central Massachusetts. These appeared because since these two plate collided against each other, the layers pushed themselves upwards, creating mountains. Anyways, just like the TIA and Avalon, one more plate is approaching. This plate is Africa (the continent). It is approaching as we are shifting north, although we are still under the equator. Maggie searches the seas by gazing in the water, then swimming, looking at the primitive fish, which recently started growing. Another thing that is growing are plants, which are flourishing on the land. I should get back in my time machine before Africa hits!

Crash! My time machine roughly landed on North America again, meaning I went back 280 million years ago. Maggie quickly hopped out of the machine and ran around. I slowly got out, amazed by the look of North America. Africa had collided with it, and I could almost literally walk to Africa from where I was standing (Massachusetts). Also right now, North America has moved closer towards the equator, meaning that its getting hotter. Along with the continents colliding, more mountains are forming, along with old mountains getting taller. Not only did Africa connect with North America, but all the continents did, which meant Pangaea. Pangaea is the stage in which all the continents are formed together. When they are formed together, you can’t see any water from oceans, too. It looked like some plants, animals, and trees, but still not much. Also, dinosaurs will appear shortly. I am getting back in my time machine now before Africa hits!

“Landing” says the screen on my time machine. This time, Maggie and I are both happy that it landed softer than the other times. Anyways, when we got out, it was 190 million years ago from present time. Unlike my last trip to North America where I could walk to Africa, this time it separated out of the eastern coast, causing fractures of the land. There is a gap filled with water in between North America and Africa, which was the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean. As I also look around, I notice dinosaurs crawling everywhere I look. Although it would be scary at sometimes, I knew the early humans would not appear for another 188 years. So, I jumped in my time machine, making sure Maggie would not bother the dinosaurs, or get lost in the huge amount of land.

When we finally got back, I learned so much about Earth’s history of drifting continents and how it came to be like what it is today. I would definitely like to do that again.