Chronology of continents

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

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Name Era Time before present Image Reference
Vaalbara Eoarchean 3.6-2.7 Ga   [2]
Ur Paleoarchean 3.1 Ga   [4]
Kenorland Neoarchean 2.7 Ga   [5]
Arctica Neoarchean 2.565 Ga   [6]
Columbia Paleoproterozoic 2.1-1.5 Ga   [7]
Atlantica Paleoproterozoic 2.0 Ga   [8]
Nena Paleoproterozoic 1.9 Ga [9]
Baltica Paleoproterozoic 1.8 Ga   [10]
Rodinia Neoproterozoic 1100-633 Ma [11]
Avalonia Neoproterozoic 750 Ma   [12]
Pannotia Neoproterozoic 500-600 Ma   [13]
Pampia Neoproterozoic 555-515 Ma [11]
Gondwana Neoproterozoic 550 Ma   [14]
Cimmeria Neoproterozoic 550 Ma   [15]
Laurasia Neoproterozoic 550 Ma   [16]
Cuyania Paleozoic ~420-390 Ma [17]
Chilenia Paleozoic ~420-390 Ma [18]
Pangaea Paleozoic 335 Ma   [16]
Africa Paleozoic 300 Ma   [19]
South America Mesozoic 225 Ma   [20]
North America Mesozoic 200 Ma   [21]
Mauritia Mesozoic 70-60 Ma   [22]
Asia Mesozoic 66 Ma   [23]
Australia Cenozoic 10 Ma   [24]
Europe Cenozoic 5 Ma   [25]
Pangaea Proxima ~250 myf   [3]
Novopangaea ~250 myf   [26]
Aurica ~250 myf [26]
Amasia ~250 myf   [26]

References

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  1. ^ "Continent". National Geographic Society. 2011-09-20. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c Wilkins, Alasdair. "A Geological History of Supercontinents on Planet Earth" at io9. 27 Jan 2011. Accessed 22 July 2014.