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Panthalassa, also known as the Panthalassic or Panthalassan Ocean, (from Greek Ïá¾¶Î½ all and Î¸Î¬Î»Î±ÏÏÎ± sea), was the superocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea. During the PaleozoicâMesozoic transition c. 250 Ma it occupied almost 70% of Earth's surface.
Over time, these islands collided with the large group of continents and were attached to it in a process called accretion. About 525 million years ago, that land mass broke apart, with North America on one side and South America, Africa and the small island pieces on the other. The two plates drifted apart, forming the Iapetus Ocean.