<P> Rocks from the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been found in Greenland , the Irminger Basin , Faroe Islands , Vøring Plateau ( off Norway ) , Faroe - Shetland Basin , Hebrides , Outer Moray Firth and Denmark . The supercontinent known as Pangea existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras and began to rift around 200 million years ago . Pangea had three major phases of breakup . The first major phase began in the Early - Middle Jurassic , taking place between North America and Africa . The second major phase of breakup began in the Early Cretaceous . The South Atlantic Ocean opened around 140 million years ago as Africa separated from South America , and about the same time , India separated from Antarctica and Australia , forming the central Indian Ocean . The final major phase of breakup occurred in the early Cenozoic , as Laurentia separated from Eurasia . As the two plates broke free from each other , the Atlantic Ocean continued to expand . </P>
<P> Rocks from the North Atlantic Igneous Province have been found in Greenland , the Irminger Basin , Faroe Islands , Vøring Plateau ( off Norway ) , Faroe - Shetland Basin , Hebrides , Outer Moray Firth and Denmark . The supercontinent known as Pangea existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras and began to rift around 200 million years ago . Pangea had three major phases of breakup . The first major phase began in the Early - Middle Jurassic , taking place between North America and Africa . The second major phase of breakup began in the Early Cretaceous . The South Atlantic Ocean opened around 140 million years ago as Africa separated from South America , and about the same time , India separated from Antarctica and Australia , forming the central Indian Ocean . The final major phase of breakup occurred in the early Cenozoic , as Laurentia separated from Eurasia . As the two plates broke free from each other , the Atlantic Ocean continued to expand . </P>
when did the atlantic ocean start to open
when did the atlantic ocean start to open
around 140 million years ago
around 140 million years ago