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A few plate reconstructions we've put together...
Computer Software...
Links...

       Since the first mapmakers of the Atlantic region, people have conjectured about continental drift.  Alfred Wegener created both a resurgence in drift's popularity and unpopularity with his books.  Today we use a variety of techniques undreamed of in Wegener's day to quantify the Dance of the Continents.  Computer models abound.
       Here is our collection of plate reconstruction links and images and movies and whatever we find or create ourselves.  I hope this becomes the wave of the future, where it will be easy for any geologist to come up with plate reconstructions based on well-documented and fully referenced computer databases of paleomagnetic and hotspot data (to get the plate motions right) and suporting geological data (biogeographic and stratigraphic data, etc.) that says "Here's where the plates were and here's why we think so!". I think the educational possibilities for these are endless (see also the K-12 resource in our links below).

No JAVA required: (available as soon as I have some requests for them...)
Pangaea decaf - (No Java) - All the figures as Pangaea above, but less interactivity. (coming soon)
South Atlantic decaf - (No Java)  - All the figures as South Atlantic above, but less interactivity .(coming soon)

Geographic Mapping and Palaeoreconstruction package (GMAP) -  I just downloaded GMAP Standard (the Free one) and haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like this be the one.  The Professional version costs $700 (and from their list of users, it seems to be the choice of professionals).   Seems to have all the high-end bells and whistles -- I'll let you know soon, but check it out for yourself, meanwhile.  Thanks to y'all at the Geological Survey of Norway.

GLG-Plates - GLG-Plates is a program developed by C.E.Ford.  Good basic plate reconstruction software for 50 pounds (British). You can download a test version that only allows two plates to be displayed at a time.  I used the downloadable version to create the South Atlantic models listed above.  Worth checking out.

Digital Isochrons of the World's Ocean Floor - This site (also listed below) has data and explanations for reconstructing the ocean basins based on seafloor magnetic reversals.  High power stuff, well referenced.
 
Plate Tectonics and How the Earth Works
Theory of Plate Tectonics - CD-ROM products by Tasa Graphics for education.  I haven't used either of these, but some people say they are pretty good at showing reconstructions and explaining the way things work.  Tasa has nice artwork. Someday I'll review them I hope.  $59 each as of this writing from this supplier.

Making maps:
ODSN Make Platetectonic Reconstruction - Wonderful!  The Ocean Drilling Stratigraphic Network team has put together a fabulous, web-based reconstruction tool.  You choose the year to reconstruct, the latitude and longitude of your area of interest, the map projection and up pops your map!  Many bells and whistles, including plotting of ODP and DSDP ocean drilling sites on the map, in their reconstructed positions.  With full reference as to their methods, I think this site will get really busy really soon.  I can't say enough good about this site and hope for more from them in the future.

Looking at maps:
Ron Blakey's Pages - Professor Ron Blakey at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff is actively involved in paleogeographic research of the Colorado Plateau region.  He uses software from the Paleomap Project (see below), but augments reconstructions with his own research findings (especially eolian sedimentation and stratigraphy).  Visit his Global Earth History and other pages listed under Research Activities.

Paleomap Project - Web page of Paleomap Project, Chris Scotese's vehicle for disseminating info about his research and its outcomes.  His "Earth History" section has quite a few paleogeographic reconstructions to view and a pretty good page describing how geologists put together disparate data to derive a plate reconstruction.  He also presents a promising view of the future of this research.  Chris has been in the computerized reconstruction effort for longer than anyone, and it shows.  You can also purchase educational videos and CD-ROMs of his work on this page.  I talked with Chris recently and he promises to add some sample animations to his web pages soon!  We look forward to more good things from him.

Plate Tectonics (Berkeley) - Long listing of simple reconstruction animations (gifs, QuickTime, avi formats) again all using Scotese reconstructions.  Also contain links from reconstructions to a geologic time scale and from thence into the largish Berkeley Museum of Paleontology webxhibits.
 
Paleoatlas von Scotese (Stuttgart) - Collection of world paleogeographic reconstructions straight from Paleomap Project (below).  Covers the interval from Late Proterozoic (Vendian) to 250 Ma in the Future!  No explanations, just an image collection. Thanks to Ralph-Walter Müller (and, of course, Chris Scotese).

Paleomap Foundation - Web page of the Paleomap Foundation, a funding vehicle for the plate reconstruction research efforts of Malcolm Ross and Chris Scotese of the University of Texas, Arlington.   Does not appear to be directly affiliated with the Paleomap Project (see above), other than that Chris works with both. Not updated since 7/96.  Only a couple sample images, not very useful unless you want to know how to contact these folks.

Research:
Plate Tectonics (Lausanne) - Page for the plate tectonic research interests of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and so focuses a good bit on Euro reconstructions.  A very nice set of plate reconstructions for the Alpine Tethys region from Permian to Eocene.

Digital Isochrons of the World's Ocean Floor - Cool!  Some really nice images to look at, but the real point of this page is access to the high tech database of magnetic stripes on the sea floor.  Very well documented, now they just need to make a version on their web server that allows you to use GMT to serve up maps over the web.

Plate Project (UTIG Austin) - This is the page for the University of Texas Institute of Geophysics plate tectonics research efforts.  Has some good images, including a nice QuickTime movie of a Global Plate Motion from 180 to 0 Ma.

Other Goodies:
Plate Motion Calculator (Tokyo) - Very Zenny!  One of the oldest and still one of the best plate tectonic pages around.  All it does is calculate the current heading and speed of any given spot on any given plate, using one of three different plate reconstructions.  But that's cool enough: to know where one is going is half way to being there.  Believe it or not, the page is unrevised since 1994!

Plate Movements and Climate Change - Great!  Here's a map exercise to use with middle school students (or, modified gently, for older ones) that covers the essential concepts of plate movement and how that could change the climate of a region as the plate moves around.  Thanks to Karen Bice of Penn State and the SEPM K-12 Resource publications.

Caribbean geology - Series of plate reconstructions for the Caribbean from 200 Ma to present by James Pindell.  Also an animated gif of these images, but not very good because it is too jumpy - not designed as animation, unfortunately.

Opening of the Tasman Sea - Wow! Impressive, but I'm not sure I get it.  A big, slow step-by-step, piece-by-piece reconstruction of the Tasman Sea from about 89 to 53 Ma.  Strangely, this isn't a paleogeographic base that is being moved around, it is a free-air gravity anomaly map!  Ours is not to wonder why...

Asymmetry of Seafloor Spreading, - Could be good, but the image link is broken, so it's useless.

Seafloor and land topography data - OK, not quite plate reconstructions, but this is the place for state of the art world seafloor and land elevation data.  Some very impressive images available for downloading.  I love the 3D perspective shot that compares the new and the old data for an area of Pacific seamounts.  Wow!

Dance of the Continents - Whoa!  Just when you thought we BELIEVED all this stuff, someone steps up to bat to set things straight.  Actually, I couldn't keep a straight face reading this Cydonian diatribe.  Noah reigns, and somehow the Martians find their way in at the end.  Or maybe the Cydonian Martians are the real point?  Now where is Don Wise's Creationist Timescale when you need it....