Their adaptations, such as large eye sockets, show that they could survive the months of darkness in winter. As Australia moved north, an ocean developed between the two continents, cutting off the warm currents to create a circumpolar current that froze Antarctica. Australia moved further north and got hotter. Deserts were created in the centre. This is an example of plate tectonics changing the environment of a continent.
Mountain ranges on continents often develop as a result of plate tectonics.
Once formed, mountain ranges generally restrict rain to falling predominantly on the seaward side, leaving the continent drier on the other side.