History

Gondwanaland

Antarctica started as part of Gondwanaland. It was a part of this supercontinent for 200 million years, until 180 MYA (million years ago), when during the Jurassic era (195-136 MYA), the continent started to break up. During the breakup and the following Cretaceous era (136-65 MYA), we know from fossilized records that newly evolved fern and conifer forests covered the land. By 96 MYA, Australia and New Zealand became the last areas to break away and Antarctica went on drifting south.


Flying over the Transatlantic Mountains

Up until this time, it had been basking in a semi-tropical climate. However, starting in the Paleocene era (60 MYA), the temperatures started to drop and the climate became like that found in the British Isles. As it continued to travel south during the Eocene era (54-38 MYA), the Trans-Atlantic mountains were created, rising from sea level and cutting Antarctica in half from coast to coast. Then 40 MYA, it reached its current location at the south pole and the first ice caps began to form.

By the Oligocene era (38-26 MYA), Antarctica has started to become the coldest and windiest place on Earth. By the Miocene era (26-7 MYA), the whole continent was covered by ice. The rising of the Antarctic convergence 20 MYA adds to the cooling, and sealed off the migration routes north and south of all animals. It is now completely isolated from the South Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, and it has become mostly the continent that we see it as today. Fossil records from the Pliocene era (7-0 MYA) tell us that even by this time there had been many ice sheet movements and meltings.

Then Humans Came Along...

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