Supercontinent explained to kids

A supercontinent is a large landmass that contains all or nearly all of the Earth's continents. They occur when the Earth's plates move and interact with each other, forming a single, large landmass. Supercontinents have existed several times in Earth's history. The most recent supercontinent was Pangaea, which began to break apart about 175 million years ago. Supercontinents form over long periods of time, often tens of millions of years. They can break apart just as slowly. The process by which a supercontinent forms is called accretion. This happens when smaller landmasses collide and fuse together to form a larger one. The first known supercontinent was called Vaalbara. It formed about 3.6 billion years ago and only lasted for about 500 million years before breaking apart. Vaalbara was followed by Kenorland, which formed about 2.7 billion years ago. Kenorland only lasted for about 200 million years before it too broke apart. The next supercontinent was called Nuna. Nuna formed about 1.9 billion years ago and lasted for about 500 million years before breaking apart. Nuna was followed by Rodinia, which formed about 1 billion years ago. Rodinia only lasted for about 600 million years before it too broke apart. The most recent supercontinent was called Pangaea. Pangaea formed about 300 million years ago and began to break apart about 175 million years ago. The break-up of Pangaea is still happening today, and has resulted in the formation of the modern continents. Supercontinents are thought to occur every 500 to 600 million years. The next supercontinent is expected to form in about 250 million years.