Supercontinent cycle
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The supercontinent cycle is the repeated assembly and breakup of most of Earth's continental crust into very large landmasses. Proposed supercontinents include Columbia or Nuna, Rodinia, Pannotia, and Pangaea.
Continents converge as ocean basins close through subduction and continental collisions. The resulting supercontinent can later fragment through rifting, mantle upwelling, and the opening of new oceans.
A complete cycle is commonly estimated to take several hundred million years. It is related to plate tectonics, mantle convection, mountain building, volcanism, sea-level change, ocean circulation, and the Wilson cycle.
Supercontinent assembly and breakup can influence climate, nutrient supply, biological evolution, mineral deposits, and patterns of extinction and diversification. Reconstructions use paleomagnetism, rock correlations, fossils, geochronology, and tectonic evidence.
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- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercontinent_cycle