Chronology of continents

Last updated

A continent is a large geographical region defined by the continental shelves and the cultures on the continent. [1] In the modern day, there are seven continents. However, there have been more continents throughout history. Vaalbara was the first supercontinent. [2] Europe is the newest continent. [3] Geologists have predicted that certain continents will appear, these being Pangaea Proxima, Novopangaea, Aurica, and Amasia.

List of continents

Name Era Time before present ImageReference
Vaalbara Eoarchean 3.6-2.7 Ga Diagram of the (conjectured) Vaalbara ancient continent.png [2]
Ur Paleoarchean 3.1 Ga Diagram of possible Ur Continent of the (conjectured) Eoarchean Era.png [4]
Kenorland Neoarchean 2.7 Ga Kenorland.jpg [5]
Arctica Neoarchean2.565 Ga 2400 Ma paleoglobe.png [6]
Columbia Paleoproterozoic 2.1-1.5 Ga Columbia1600.png [7]
Atlantica Paleoproterozoic2.0 Ga Atlantica-2Ga.svg [8]
Nena Paleoproterozoic1.9 Ga [9]
Baltica Paleoproterozoic1.8 Ga Baltica outline.png [10]
Rodinia Neoproterozoic 1100-633 Ma [11]
Avalonia Neoproterozoic750 Ma AVALONIA.svg [12]
Pannotia Neoproterozoic500-600 Ma Panotiaggg.jpg [13]
Pampia Neoproterozoic555-515 Ma [11]
Gondwana Neoproterozoic550 Ma Gondwana 420 Ma.png [14]
Cimmeria Neoproterozoic550 Ma 249 global.png [15]
Laurasia Neoproterozoic550 Ma Laurasia 200Ma.jpg [16]
Cuyania Paleozoic ~420-390 Ma [17]
Chilenia Paleozoic~420-390 Ma [18]
Pangaea Paleozoic335 Ma Pangaea 200Ma.jpg [16]
Africa Paleozoic300 Ma Africa (orthographic projection).svg [19]
South America Mesozoic 225 Ma South America (orthographic projection).svg [20]
North America Mesozoic200 Ma BK North America (orthographic projection).png [21]
Mauritia Mesozoic70-60 Ma Early Jurassic breakup of Gondwana.png [22]
Asia Mesozoic66 Ma Asia (orthographic projection).svg [23]
Australia Cenozoic 10 Ma Map of Australia and New Zealand.png [24]
Europe Cenozoic5 Ma World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts-Europe Region.svg [25]
Pangaea Proxima ~250 myf PangeaUltimaRoughEstimation.png [3]
Novopangaea ~250 myf Image 200.00my (Novopangea).jpg [26]
Aurica ~250 myf [26]
Amasia ~250 myf Image 100.00MPVF Amasia.jpg [26]

References

  1. "Continent". National Geographic Society. 2011-09-20. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  2. 1 2 Zegers, T. E.; de Wit, M. J.; White, S. H. (1998). "Vaalbara, Earth's oldest assembled continent? A combined. structural, geochronological, and palaeomagnetic test" (PDF). Terra Nova. 10(5): 250–259.
  3. 1 2 Willams, Caroline; Nield, Ted (2007). "Earth's next supercontinent". New Scientist. 196 (2626): 36–40. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(07)62661-X.
  4. Rogers & Santosh 2003, Rodinia, pp. 363–364
  5. Pesonen, L. J.; Elming, S.-Å.; Mertanen, S.; Pisarevsky, S.; D’Agrella-Filho, M. S.; Meert, J. G.; Schmidt, P. W.; Abrahamsen, N.; Bylund, G. (2003). "Palaeomagnetic configuration of continents during the Proterozoic". Tectonophysics. 375 (1–4): 289–324
  6. Vernikovsky, V. A.; Dobretsov, N. L. (2015). "Geodynamic evolution of the Arctic Ocean and modern problems in geological studies of the Arctic region". Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 85 (3): 206–212.
  7. Zhao, G.; Cawood, P. A.; Wilde, S. A.; Sun, M. (2002). "Review of global 2.1–1.8 Ga orogens: implications for a pre-Rodinia supercontinent". Earth-Science Reviews. 59 (1): 125–162.
  8. Rogers, John J. W. (1996). "A History of Continents in the past Three Billion Years". The Journal of Geology. 104 (1): 91–107. Bibcode:1996JG....104...91R. doi:10.1086/629803. ISSN   0022-1376. S2CID   128776432. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. Gower, Ryan & Rivers 1990, Introduction, p. 2
  10. Cocks, L. R. M.; Torsvik, T. H. (2005). "Baltica from the late Precambrian to mid-Palaeozoic times: the gain and loss of a terrane's identity" (PDF). Earth-Science Reviews. 72 (1–2): 39–66.
  11. 1 2 Gaucher, Claudio; Bossi, Jorge; Blanco, Gonzalo (2009). "Palaeogeography". Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Tectonics, Global Change and Evolution: A Focus on South Western Gondwana. Developments in Precambrian Geology. 16. pp. 131–41. doi:10.1016/S0166-2635(09)01609-0. ISBN   978-0-444-53249-7.
  12. Murphy, J. B.; Pisarevsky, S. A.; Nance, R. D.; Keppie, J. D. (2001). Jessell, M. J. (ed.). "Animated history of Avalonia in Neoproterozoic - Early Proterozoic". General Contributions. Journal of the Virtual Explorer. 3: 45–58. doi:10.3809/jvirtex.2001.00026. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. Scotese 2009, Reconstruction of Rodinia and Pannotia, p. 68
  14. Bradley, D.C. (2011). "Secular Trends in the Geologic Record and the Supercontinent Cycle". Earth-Science Reviews. 108 (1–2): 16–33. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.715.6618. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.05.003.
  15. Buchs, D. M.; Bagheri, S.; Martin, L.; Hermann, J.; Arculus, R. (2013). "Paleozoic to Triassic ocean opening and closure preserved in Central Iran: Constraints from the geochemistry of meta-igneous rocks of the Anarak area". Lithos . 172: 267–287.
  16. 1 2 Blakey 2003, Assembly of Western Pangaea: Carboniferous–Permian, pp. 453–454; Assembly of Eastern Pangaea: Late Permian–Jurassic, p. 454; Fig. 10, p. 454
  17. Rapalini 2005
  18. Rapalini, A.E. 2005. The accretionary history of southern South America from the latest Proterozoic to the Late Palaeozoic: some palaeomagnetic constraints. From: Vaughan, A. R M., Leat, P. T. & Pankhurst, R. J, (eds). Terrane Processes at the Margins of Gondwana. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 246, 305-328.
  19. "Africa - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  20. "South America - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  21. "North America - Tectonic evolution". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  22. Torsvik, Trond H.; Amundsen, Hans; Hartz, Ebbe H.; Corfu, Fernando; Kusznir, Nick; Gaina, Carmen; Doubrovine, Pavel V.; Steinberger, Bernhard; Ashwal, Lewis D.; Jamtveit, Bjørn (24 February 2013). "A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean" (PDF). Nature Geoscience . 6 (3): 223–227. doi:10.1038/ngeo1736. hdl:10852/62002. ISSN 1752-0894. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  23. "Asia - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  24. "Australia - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  25. "Europe - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  26. 1 2 3 Wilkins, Alasdair. "A Geological History of Supercontinents on Planet Earth" at io9. 27 Jan 2011. Accessed 22 July 2014.