The surreal process of plate tectonics has shaped and transformed the Earth. When tectonic plates collide, they form mountains; when they separate, they create deep chasms that eventually become oceans. Over time, this shifting of tectonic plates reshapes continents, allowing new species of plants and animals to evolve. A team of geologists recently reconstructed Earth’s tectonic history over the past 1.8 billion years, as reported by The Conversation. Their findings, published in Geoscience Frontiers, include an animation that visualizes Earth’s changes throughout 40% of its geological history.
Representative Image Source: Global Network and Planet Earth. Maps from NASA. (Getty Images)
Plate tectonics refers to the Earth's crust that is divided into fragments or plates that float above the mantle. Earth is the only planet in the solar system to feature plate tectonics due to its internal heat and liquid water which other planets lack. Plate tectonics doesn’t just shift the geology of Earth, it constantly prompts a range of natural phenomena like volcanoes and earthquakes. When plates collide with each other, their boundary accumulates energy which is released in the form of earthquakes, per Forbes. And when a plate is breaking apart, the cracks in its surface allow magma to rise to the surface, triggering volcanoes.
Representative Image Source: Plate tectonics map. major an minor plates. Vector illustration. (Getty Images)
In the latest research, led by Xianzhi Cao from the Ocean University in China, researchers liken this continental dance of plates to a work of “natural art.” Using a combination of old models, new geophysical data, and improved software, they simulated how the globe experienced variations over the past 1.8 billion years. The researchers took into consideration, the formation of three supercontinents – “Nuna” existing from 2.1 to 1.35 billion years ago, “Rodinia” existing from 1.26 to 0.9 billion years ago, and “Pangaea” existing from 335 to 200 million years ago.
Representative Image Source: Florida and sea trenches on a globe (Getty Images)
apart, giving rise to Rodinia, which eventually broke up to form Gondwana. About 200 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, Gondwana merged with North America, Europe, and northern Asia to form the supercontinent Pangaea. During this time, India began its gradual movement southward.
As the tectonic plates moved around, it didn’t only prompt the formation of new continents, but also new living organisms and new supplies of nutrients. As these plates shifted, the elements buried deep into the Earth rose to the surface and made their way into rivers and oceans, from where organisms started employing these elements in their life. Two of these primary elements are phosphorus and molybdenum. While organisms use phosphorus to build DNA molecules, molybdenum is utilized to strip nitrogen from the atmosphere to make life-sustaining proteins.
Representative Image Source: Aerial view abstract of river and Earth (Getty Images)
Mapping plate tectonics also revealed their chemical interaction with the atmosphere. As metals like cobalt and copper are washed from oxygen-rich fluids deep within the rocks, they form metal ore deposits inside volcanoes, which are expelled during eruptions. While the researchers acknowledge that their model has some errors, they describe it as the “most robust” snapshot of plate tectonics ever created, using extensive paleomagnetic and geological data.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
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The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.