Susan Rowley, age 8, of Winnipeg, "4anitoba, Canada, for her question:

How was the Mediterranean Sea formed?

Nowadays cue know that slowly, slowly the world map is changing. tae know that the dry land gradually drifts through the oceans. So naturally we wonder what the land and seas were like in the dim distant past. About 200 million years ago, when the world was a teenager, all the dry land was together in one big, continent. Then it began to crack and two huge pieces started drifting apart.

Much later, the two big pieces broke into smaller pieces. As they drifted apart, they gradually changed the lands and seas on the world map. About 135 million years ago, the future Mediterranean Sea was open at both ends. Later a corner of Africa drifted across and joined the land on the other side. About 60 million years ago, this formed the future 'fiddle Bast. It also sealed one end of the Mitediterranean Sea and left a narrow opening into the Atlantic, at the opposite end. Several changes have happened since then, but the main job was finished about 50 million years ago.