Kimpau's Best

DE LOS REYES, CARL DOMINIC S.

2006-07964

GEOL 1- REACTION PAPER

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the face on the earth was nothing like we know it today. Europe, to be more specific went through drastic changes over time. We all know Europe to be a continent rich in history and culture. Who would have known that Europe’s rich history began way before the first men, and even animals roamed the lands. A surprising fact about Europe’s evolution was that it was once positioned on the equator almost 300 million years ago. The shifting on the plates caused Europe to break apart from the other continents and drift to other locations across the globe. The continent of Europe has undergone drastic climate changes many times over millions of years causing the environments to change. The environment shifted from desert to tropical, to forest, back to desert, and was even thrown into an ice age, which proved unlivable for most life forms. I am intrigued at the diversity of life forms that existed in Europe from past to present. Today, we all know that certain plants and animals are unique to certain locations around the globe due to their habitats. It is so intriguing however to discover that animals like hippos, lions and hyenas that we know to be common in areas such as Africa also once wandered London. Another interesting fact about Europe was the formation of seas and lakes due to the plate shifting and melting ice. Today we might recognize these massive bodies of water to be permanent features across the face of the globe because we are familiar in viewing the world that way. Although, hundreds of millions of years ago, before time was even measured, these bodies of water were no permanent features. Seas and lakes would dry up if they were not supplied with water, landscapes changed every single time the earth would move and nothing was known to be permanent. The continent of Europe, together with the rest of the earth kept evolving into the world we live in today....