Hypothetical former supercontinent in the Southern Hemisphere, which included modern North America, Europe, and Asia (except peninsular India).
The concept that the continents were at one time joined was first set forth in detail by Pangaea , which supposedly began to separate in the Late Triassic Epoch (227–206 million years ago). Subsequent research distinguished between a northern landmass, Laurasia, and {{link=Gondwana">Gondwana . Laurasia is thought to have fragmented into the present continents largely during the Mesozoic Era . See also continental drift .