In Earth Science, we are learning about plate tectonics. It's confusing and easy at the same time. Basically, a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really long time ago, the was a super continent. It was when all the continents were all merged together to create what was called Pangaea. If you break it apart, it is: pan, which means "all", and Gaea, meaning earth. So basically, it means "all earth". It would have looked something like this:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/62066/man-who-figured-out-pangea
Eventually, in like the early 1900's, some sciency dude named Alfred Wegener discovered that the world used to look like the picture above. He wanted to know why. We now know that we don't live in some big super continent because of something called the Continetal Drift. That's where the plate tectonics thing comes into play. In the ocean, in mid ocean ridges, the sea floor reversed polarity and because of the magnetic sea floor stripes. So then the continents drifted apart and here we are today. Tadaaaaaaa!
http://mentalfloss.com/article/62066/man-who-figured-out-pangea
Eventually, in like the early 1900's, some sciency dude named Alfred Wegener discovered that the world used to look like the picture above. He wanted to know why. We now know that we don't live in some big super continent because of something called the Continetal Drift. That's where the plate tectonics thing comes into play. In the ocean, in mid ocean ridges, the sea floor reversed polarity and because of the magnetic sea floor stripes. So then the continents drifted apart and here we are today. Tadaaaaaaa!