Pangea break-up, global maps (elliptical projections). The Pangea supercontinent formed about 300 million years ago, in the late Paleozoic Era (around the start of the Permian Period), due to continental drift. At top, Pangea is shown as it appeared 220 million years ago (in the Triassic Period). It eventually broke up again from around 200 million years ago, leading to the formation of today's continents. The appearance at 155 million years ago (in the Jurassic Period) is at middle. At bottom is the continents as they appeared 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period, the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs.