- Will a new supercontinent form in the Earth’s future? If so, when will this supercontinent form and what will be its name?
Yes, a new supercontinent is expected to form in the future. This supercontinent will form about 250 million years in the future and will be known as Pangaea Ultima.
- What two present-day continents are not expected to be part of new supercontinent?
Antarctica and Australia are not expected to be part of the Pangaea Ultima.
- What could conceivably cause plate tectonic motion to cease in the future?
Plate tectonic motion would cease if the heat source from inside the Earth needed to drive plate tectonics (i.e., radioactive decay) was exhausted.
- Is there any chance of plate tectonic motion ceasing in the near future? Explain.
There is no realistic chance of plate tectonic motion ceasing in the near future. Plate motion gets its primary heat source from the radioactive decay of materials like U238 and Th232. U238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years and the half-life of Th232 is 14 billion years. Billions of years will need to elapse before any concern needs to be expressed about the source of the Earth’s internal heat.
- What is the most likely scenario resulting in the end of the Earth?
The death of the Earth will likely occur in about 5 billion years as a result of the sun becoming a red giant.