Douwe van Hinsbergen's team launches paleolatitude.org to trace latitude shifts over 320 million years
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Apr 29
Douwe van Hinsbergen's team launches paleolatitude.org to trace latitude shifts over 320 million years
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Apr 29
Led by Utrecht University, the international team spent 10 years developing the website, which uses the Utrecht Paleogeography Model to map latitude changes for any global location since the age of Pangaea.
The tool enables users to visualize how their chosen location's latitude has shifted, aiding paleoclimatologists and paleontologists in reconstructing ancient climates and biodiversity patterns by linking rocks and fossils to their original latitudinal positions.
While the tool does not show longitude changes or animated migrations, it refines previous tectonic models by including complex regions like the Himalayas and Mediterranean, supporting multidisciplinary research into Earth's geological and biological history.
Will this tool soon show ancient climates and life, not just a location's path on a chart?
Can this model of Earth's past predict where our continents will be in millions of years?
Beyond latitude, what are the biggest hurdles in reconstructing a location's full journey through deep time?
Do all scientists agree on this map of the past, or are there competing continental drift models?
Could tracking ancient 'safe zones' help us identify climate refuges for today's endangered species?
How does seeing our planet's fluid history challenge our modern concept of permanent national borders?