Geology Gallery

Continental drift after 250 million years

Continental drift after 250 million years, showing the supercontinent of Pangea Ultima, which was named for the ancient supercontinent of Pangea. Pangea began to break up some 200 million years before the modern era, and around 450 million years before the formation of Pangea Ultima. Some of the shapes of todays continents are still visible. Several such supercontinents have formed in the 4.5-billion-year history of the Earth

© MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Krakatoa sunsets, 1883 artworks

Krakatoa sunsets. Artwork of the spectacular red and orange sunsets caused in London, England, by the August 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, a volcano thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia. The ash thrown up by the eruption caused sunsets like these for years afterwards. These three artworks are a sequence, showing twilight and afterglow effects at Chelsea, London, on 26 November 1883, at around: 4.40pm (top); 5pm (middle); and 6.15pm (bottom). These are among the thousands of sunset sketches made by the British artist William Ashcroft. Krakatoa's eruption prompted many reports and investigations. These artworks formed the frontispiece for The Report of the Krakatoa Committee of the Royal Society (1888)

© ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Barga, Italy

Barga. View from the mediaeval Tuscan town of Barga across the Serchio river valley, towards the summit of Pania Secca (1171 metres) in the Apuan Alps, Italy. This rugged range of mountains along the northern Tuscan coast is primarily made up of marble and other metamorphic carbonate rocks. The Apuan Alps is a leading source of high-grade, statue-quality white marble. Michelangelo used marble from nearby Carrara for his sculptures

© SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY