Making North America
Ok kiddo, a long time ago, the world looked different than it does now. Instead of one big continent, it was split up into smaller pieces. One of those pieces was called "Laurentia," and it was where Canada and the United States are now. Over many millions of years, things happened that caused Laurentia to move and change.
One of the biggest things that happened was called "plate tectonics." The Earth's outer shell is made of giant puzzle pieces that float on top of hot, liquid rock. These pieces can move and crash into each other, like cars on a highway. When two pieces collide, they can either push each other up (like when you push two toy cars together) or slide underneath each other.
Around 1 billion years ago, Laurentia collided with another piece of land called "Baltica." This created a huge mountain range, kind of like the bumps on a rollercoaster. Over time, the mountains eroded away and the land in between them sank down. This formed a vast plain that would eventually become the heart of North America.
But that's not all. About 300 million years ago, more plate tectonic movements caused this plain to split in two. A giant crack opened up and started filling with water, which eventually became the Atlantic Ocean. The land on one side of the crack became North America, and the land on the other side became Europe and Africa.
Over the next few hundred million years, North America continued to change and grow. Volcanoes erupted and massive glaciers carved out the landscape. Dinosaurs roamed the continent, and then they went extinct. Humans eventually showed up and started building civilizations.
So there you have it, kiddo. North America wasn't always here, but it gradually formed over billions of years through plate tectonics, mountain-building, erosion, and other natural processes. Cool, huh?
One of the biggest things that happened was called "plate tectonics." The Earth's outer shell is made of giant puzzle pieces that float on top of hot, liquid rock. These pieces can move and crash into each other, like cars on a highway. When two pieces collide, they can either push each other up (like when you push two toy cars together) or slide underneath each other.
Around 1 billion years ago, Laurentia collided with another piece of land called "Baltica." This created a huge mountain range, kind of like the bumps on a rollercoaster. Over time, the mountains eroded away and the land in between them sank down. This formed a vast plain that would eventually become the heart of North America.
But that's not all. About 300 million years ago, more plate tectonic movements caused this plain to split in two. A giant crack opened up and started filling with water, which eventually became the Atlantic Ocean. The land on one side of the crack became North America, and the land on the other side became Europe and Africa.
Over the next few hundred million years, North America continued to change and grow. Volcanoes erupted and massive glaciers carved out the landscape. Dinosaurs roamed the continent, and then they went extinct. Humans eventually showed up and started building civilizations.
So there you have it, kiddo. North America wasn't always here, but it gradually formed over billions of years through plate tectonics, mountain-building, erosion, and other natural processes. Cool, huh?