Pangaea represents a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. The model describes a time when virtually all of the Earth's continental landmasses were joined together in a single unit, before slowly breaking apart into the continents that exist today. This massive geological rearrangement is evidence of continental drift, a process driven by the movement of tectonic plates. Over geological time, the rifting and separation of these landmasses influenced global ocean circulation, resulting in major shifts in climate, biodiversity, and the distribution of life forms across the planet.