List of paleocontinents

Animation of the break-up of the supercontinent Pangaea and the subsequent drift of its constituents, from the Early Triassic to recent (250 Ma to 0).

This is a list of paleocontinents, significant landmasses that have been proposed to exist in the geological past. The degree of certainty to which the identified landmasses can be regarded as independent entities reduces as geologists look further back in time. The list includes cratons, supercratons, microcontinents, continents and supercontinents. For the Archean to Paleoproterozoic cores of most of the continents see also list of shields and cratons.

List of paleocontinents

Name	Age (Ma)	Period/Era Range	Type	Comments	Sources
Amazonia	1300		Craton		[1] [2] [3]
Arabia–Nubia	610	Neoproterozoic	Microcontinent	Rifted off Rodinia at about 840 Ma. Then accreted to North Africa with large volume of juvenile crust during the Pan-African orogeny to form the Arabian-Nubian Shield.	[4] [5]
Arctica	2565	Neoarchean	Supercraton		[6]
Argoland	155		an archipelago of microcontinents	Rifted off Australia 155 Ma ago after splitting into microcontinents about 215Ma ago	[7] [8]
Atlantica	1500	Mesoproterozoic	Continent	Formed from a series of cratons during the development of Columbia - independent from about 1500 Ma, following break-up of Columbia - part of Rodinia from 1000 Ma	[2]
Avalonia	800	Cambrian	Continent	Rifted off northern Gondwana in the Cambrian, eventually colliding with Laurentia and Baltica in the Caledonian Orogeny to form Laurussia.	[9]
Baltica	2000	Paleoproterozoic	Continent	Formed from three cratonic fragments - the Baltic Shield, Sarmatia and Volgo–Uralia. Formed part of Columbia, then Rodinia and Pannotia. Collided with Laurentia and Avalonia to form Laurussia.	[1] [4] [2] [10]
Cathaysia	1800		Continent	Fused with the Yangtze block to form the South China Craton during the Early Paleozoic.	[11]
Cimmeria	300	Late Carboniferous–Early Permian	Continent	Rifted off margin of Gondwana, opening up Neotethys, collided with Laurasia about 150 Ma in the Cimmerian Orogeny. Regarded as being made up of many separate continental fragments.	[12]
Columbia (Nuna)	2100	Paleoproterozoic	Supercontinent	Oldest widely accepted supercontinent. also known as Nuna.	[13] [3]
East Antarctica			Craton		[14]
East European			Craton	The cratonic core of Baltica or a synonym for the paleocontinent	[2] [10]
Gondwana	500	Late Neoproterozoic	Continent	Also described as a supercontinent	[4] [15]
India			Continent		[1] [4]
Kalahari			Craton		[1] [4]
Kazakhstania			Continent		[16]
Kenorland	2720	Neoarchean	Supercontinent	Alternatively, landmasses may have grouped into two supercratons, Sclavia and Superia	[17]
Laurasia		Carboniferous-Permian	Continent	Formed by the break-up of Pangaea after Kazakhstania and Siberia had joined with the former Laurussia	[15]
Laurentia	1830	Paleoproterozoic	Continent		[1]
Laurussia	425	Early Devonian	Continent	The "Old Red Continent" formed by the Caledonian Orogeny, joined with Gondwana to form Pangaea	[18]
Mawson	1730	Paleoproterozoic	Continent		[3]
Nena	1900	Paleoproterozoic	Continent		[13]
North Australia	2000	Paleoproterozoic	Craton		[19]
North China	2500	Paleoproterozoic	Craton		[1] [4]
Pangaea	350	Late Permian	Supercontinent		[15]
Pannotia	600	Neoproterozoic	Supercontinent		[20]
Rodinia	1000	Mesoproterozoic	Supercontinent		[4]
São Francisco–Congo	1800	Proterozoic	Craton		[1] [13]
Sclavia		Paleoarchean	Supercraton		[17]
Siberia	2800	Neoarchean	Continent		[1] [4]
Sahul		Paleoproterozoic	paleocontinent	mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and Aru Islands.	[21]
South Australia			Craton		[19]
South China		Neoproterozoic	Craton		[4]
Superia	2680	Neoarchean	Supercraton		[17]
Tarim		Early Mesoproterozoic	Craton		[22] [4]
Ur	3100	Mesoarchean	Continent		[23]
Vaalbara	3300	Late Neoarchean–Early Paleoproterozoic	Continent		[17]
West Africa		Paleoproterozoic	Craton		[2] [1] [3]
West Australia	2000	Paleoproterozoic	Craton		[19]
Yangtze	1800	Late Neoarchean–Early Paleoproterozoic	Craton	Fused with the Cathaysia block to form the South China Craton during the Early Paleozoic.	[11]

References

1. Mertanen, S.; Pesonen, L.J. (2012). "2. Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Assemblages of Continents: Paleomagnetic Evidence for Near Equatorial Supercontinents". In Haapala, I. (ed.). From the Earth's Core to Outer Space. Lecture Notes in Earth System Sciences. Vol. 137. Springer Science & Business Media. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-25550-2_2. ISBN   9783642255502.
2. Terentiev, R.A.; Santosh, M. (2020). "Baltica (East European Craton) and Atlantica (Amazonian and West African Cratons) in the Proterozoic: The pre-Columbia connection". Earth-Science Reviews. 210: 103378. Bibcode:2020ESRv..21003378T. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103378. S2CID   224932710.
3. Pisarevsky, S.A.; Elming, S.-Å.; Pesonen, L.J.; Li, Z.-X. (2014). "Mesoproterozoic paleogeography: Supercontinent and beyond". Precambrian Research. 244: 207–225. Bibcode:2014PreR..244..207P. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2013.05.014.
4. Li, Z.X.; Bogdanova, S.V.; Collins, A.S.; Davidson, A.; De Waele, B.; Ernst, R.E.; Fitzsimmons, I.C.W.; Fuck, R.A.; Gladkochub, D.P.; Jacobs, J.; Karlstrom, K.E.; Lu, S.; Natapov, L.M.; Pease, V.; Pisarevsky, S.A.; Thrane, K.; Vernikovsky, V. (2008). "Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: A synthesis". Precambrian Research. 160 (1–2): 179–210. Bibcode:2008PreR..160..179L. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2007.04.021.
5. Condie, K.C. (2003). "Supercontinents, superplumes and continental growth: the Neoproterozoic record". In Yoshida, M.; Windley, W.F.; Dasgupta, S. (eds.). Proterozoic East Gondwana: Supercontinent Assembly and Breakup. Geological Society, Special Publications. Vol. 206. p. 1–21. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2003.206.01.02. ISBN   9781862391253. S2CID   128738137.
6. Rogers, J. J. W.; Santosh, M. (2003). "Supercontinents in Earth History" (PDF). Gondwana Research. 6 (3): 357–368. Bibcode:2003GondR...6..357R. doi:10.1016/S1342-937X(05)70993-X . Retrieved 8 March 2016.
7. "Geological puzzle of lost continent of Argoland solved". 24 October 2023.
8. "Lost continent Argoland discovered hidden beneath jungles". Newsweek . 23 October 2023.
9. Nance, R.D.; Murphy, J.B.; Keppie, J.D. (2002). "A Cordilleran model for the evolution of Avalonia". Tectonophysics. 352 (1–2): 11–31. Bibcode:2002Tectp.352...11N. doi:10.1016/S0040-1951(02)00187-7.
10. Lubnina, N.V.; Pisarevsky, S.A.; Stepanova, A.V.; Bogdanova, S.V.; Sokolov, S.J. (2017). "Fennoscandia before Nuna/Columbia: Paleomagnetism of 1.98–1.96 Ga mafic rocks of the Karelian craton and paleogeographic implications". Precambrian Research. 292: 1–12. Bibcode:2017PreR..292....1L. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2017.01.011.
11. Su, W.; Huff, W.D.; Ettensohn, F.R.; Liu, X.; Zhang, J.; Li, Z. (2009). "K-bentonite, black-shale and flysch successions at the Ordovician–Silurian transition, South China: Possible sedimentary responses to the accretion of Cathaysia to the Yangtze Block and its implications for the evolution of Gondwana". Gondwana Research. 15 (1): 111–130. Bibcode:2009GondR..15..111S. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2008.06.004.
12. Ueno, K. (2003). "The Permian fusulinoidean faunas of the Sibumasu and Baoshan blocks: their implications for the paleogeographic and paleoclimatologic reconstruction of the Cimmerian Continent". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 193 (1): 1–24. Bibcode:2003PPP...193....1U. doi:10.1016/S0031-0182(02)00708-3.
13. Meert, J.G.; Santosh, M. (2017). "The Columbia supercontinent revisited". Gondwana Research. 50: 67–83. Bibcode:2017GondR..50...67M. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2017.04.011 .
14. Goodge, J.W.; Fanning, C.M.; Fisher, C.M.; Vervoort, J.D. (2017). "Proterozoic crustal evolution of central East Antarctica: Age and isotopic evidence from glacial igneous clasts, and links with Australia and Laurentia". Precambrian Research. 299: 151–176. Bibcode:2017PreR..299..151G. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2017.07.026. hdl: 1885/139044 .
15. Correia, P.; Murphy, J.B. (2020). "Iberian-Appalachian connection is the missing link between Gondwana and Laurasia that confirms a Wegenerian Pangaea configuration". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 2498. Bibcode:2020NatSR..10.2498C. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59461-x . PMC   7015919 . PMID   32051503.
16. Popov, L. E.; Cocks, L. R. M. (2006). "Late Ordovician brachiopods from the Dulankara Formation of the Chu-Ili Range, Kazakhstan: their systematics, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography". Palaeontology. 49 (2): 247–283. Bibcode:2006Palgy..49..247P. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00544.x . S2CID   129492176.
17. Bleeker, W. (2003). "The late Archean record: a puzzle in ca. 35 pieces". Lithos. 71 (2–4): 99–134. Bibcode:2003Litho..71...99B. doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2003.07.003.
18. Ziegler, P.A. (2012). Evolution of Laurussia: A Study in Late Palaeozoic Plate Tectonics. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9789400904699.
19. Cawood, P.A.; Korsch, R.J. (2008). "Assembling Australia: Proterozoic building of a continent". Precambrian Research. 166 (1–4): 1–35. Bibcode:2008PreR..166....1C. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2008.08.006.
20. Nance, R.D.; Murphy, J.B. (2019). "Supercontinents and the case for Pannotia". In Wilson, R.W.; Houseman, G.A.; McCaffrey, K.J.W.; Doré, A.G.; Buiter, S.J.H. (eds.). Fifty Years of the Wilson Cycle Concept in Plate Tectonics. Geological Society, Special Publications. Vol. 470. pp. 65–86. Bibcode:2019GSLSP.470...65N. doi:10.1144/SP470.5. ISBN   9781786203830. S2CID   134018369.
21. White, J. Peter; O'Connell, James F. (1982). A prehistory of Australia, New Guinea and Sahul. Sydney: Academic Press Australia. p. 6. ISBN   0-12-746750-5.
22. Zhang, C.-L.; Ye, X.-T.; Ernst, R.E.; Zhong, Y.; Zhang, J.; Li, H.-K.; Long, X.-P. (2019). "Revisiting the Precambrian evolution of the Southwestern Tarim terrane: Implications for its role in Precambrian supercontinents". Precambrian Research. 324: 18–31. Bibcode:2019PreR..324...18Z. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2019.01.018. S2CID   135069518.
23. Nance, R. D.; Murphy, J. B.; Santosh, M. (2014). "The supercontinent cycle: a retrospective essay". Gondwana Research. 25 (1): 4–29. Bibcode:2014GondR..25....4N. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2012.12.026 . Retrieved 22 November 2020.