How was the gulf of mexico formed?

The Gulf of Mexico was formed as the result of the interaction between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. About 150 million years ago, these two plates were connected and formed a single large landmass called Laurasia. During the Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago, the North American and African tectonic plates began to rift apart, creating the Atlantic Ocean. As the plates separated, the Gulf of Mexico was formed as a failed rift basin, which is a basin that forms when the continental crust is stretched and thinned but does not completely break apart. The spreading of the plates caused the crust to thin and sink, forming a deep basin that was eventually flooded by seawater from the Atlantic Ocean. The rifting process continued until about 100 million years ago when the spreading stopped and the Gulf of Mexico reached its current shape.