This GIF Shows How Much Earth Has Changed In The Last 200 Million Years

Geologists at the University of Sydney, Australia, released this amazing computer-simulated model in a recent study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, which shows Earth's progression until the present day.

On average, plates move around 1 inch per year. But the study found that India was "speeding" at the rate of 7 inches per year for about 10 million years.

Molten rock most likely sped up the process by lubricating the continent to slide over the mantle, lead researcher Sabin Zahirovic told Science magazine.

It turns out, Earth has been changing faster than scientists thought — plates can change their motion over the course of one million years (OK that seems like a lot of time, but it's actually VERY short in geological time), according to Zahirovic.