Where Was Brazil 250 Million Years Ago?
June 3, 2026
Two hundred and fifty million years ago, the land that is now Brazil was part of Pangea, the great supercontinent that included all of Earth's landmasses. Brazil sat in the southern portion of this supercontinent, fused to Africa along what would eventually become the Atlantic coastline.
Brazil's Position on Pangea
At the time of Pangea, roughly 250 million years ago during the Permian and early Triassic periods, Brazil formed part of Gondwana, the southern supercontinent. Its eastern coast was joined to what are now the countries of Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Congo. The Amazon region was deep in the continental interior, thousands of kilometers from any ocean.
Brazil's latitude 250 million years ago was similar to today, sitting mostly in the southern hemisphere. However, the global climate was very different. The Earth was recovering from the worst mass extinction in its history, the Permian extinction, which had just wiped out more than 90 percent of all species.
The Climate of Brazil 250 Million Years Ago
During the late Permian and early Triassic, the interior of Gondwana, where Brazil sat, was dry and recovering from glaciation. Southern Brazil and neighboring Argentina preserve thick sequences of Permian glacial sediments, evidence that this region was near the edge of a massive Gondwana ice sheet just before the time of Pangea.
By the early Triassic, roughly 250 million years ago, the glaciers had retreated and temperatures were warming. The interior was still relatively dry, but river systems flowed across the landscape. Early therapsids, the mammal-like reptiles that were the dominant land animals before dinosaurs, roamed what is now the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The First Dinosaurs in Brazil
Brazil has an extraordinary fossil record of the very first dinosaurs. The Santa Maria Formation in Rio Grande do Sul, dating to about 230 million years ago, has produced some of the oldest known dinosaur fossils in the world. Staurikosaurus and Saturnalia, found in this formation, are among the earliest dinosaurs ever discovered.
These early Brazilian dinosaurs were small and agile, not yet the giants that would later dominate the planet. They lived alongside early therapsids and other archosaurs on a landscape that was part of Gondwana but was beginning to feel the effects of Pangea's fragmentation.
The Santa Maria Formation in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has produced some of the oldest dinosaur fossils in the world, dating to about 230 million years ago, when Brazil was still part of Gondwana.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Brazil joined to Africa 250 million years ago?
Yes. The eastern coast of Brazil was physically joined to West and Central Africa as part of the supercontinent Pangea. The South Atlantic did not begin to form until about 130 million years ago.
What is now the Amazon region was where 250 million years ago?
The Amazon basin was deep in the interior of Pangea, far from any ocean. It was likely a dry landscape of rivers and seasonal floodplains, very different from the rainforest of today.
Did Brazil have its own unique animals 250 million years ago?
Not yet. Because all continents were joined in Pangea, the same types of animals moved freely across the supercontinent. Brazilian Triassic fossils are closely related to those found in Africa, Europe, and North America.