Supercontinent

A landmass formed when most or all of Earth’s continental crust is joined together. Supercontinents assemble and break apart over geological time.

Plate tectonics: The theory that Earth’s lithosphere is divided into moving plates that interact at their boundaries. Plate motion carries continents together and apart, creating and dispersing supercontinents.
Pangaea: A late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic supercontinent that began breaking apart about 200 million years ago. Pangaea is the most recent widely recognized supercontinent.
Continental crust: The relatively thick, buoyant, silica-rich outer layer that forms Earth’s continents. A supercontinent is defined by the joining of much of this crust.
Sea level: The height of the ocean surface relative to a reference level on land or Earth’s geoid. Changes in ocean-basin geometry during assembly and breakup can alter global sea level.
Supercontinent cycle: The proposed recurring pattern of supercontinent assembly, persistence, and breakup through geological time. Its timing and regularity remain uncertain because ancient evidence is fragmentary.
Continental collision: The convergence of continental lithosphere after an intervening ocean basin closes. Collisions weld separate continental blocks into larger landmasses.
Rodinia: A Neoproterozoic supercontinent assembled roughly a billion years ago and later fragmented. Rodinia provides a well-studied example of an older assembly and breakup.
Craton: An ancient, stable part of continental lithosphere that has resisted major deformation for billions of years. Cratons survive later tectonic changes and anchor reconstructions of ancient continents.
Monsoon: A seasonal reversal of winds that produces distinct wet and dry seasons in some regions. Large connected landmasses can strengthen seasonal heating contrasts and reshape monsoon systems.
Pannotia: A proposed late Neoproterozoic supercontinent whose existence and configuration remain debated. Its disputed status shows how fragmentary evidence can complicate supercontinent classifications.

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