List of paleocontinents
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 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 | Craton | ||||
Arabia–Nubia | 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. | ||
Arctica | Neoarchean | Supercraton | |||
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 | |
Avalonia | Cambrian | Continent | Rifted off northern Gondwana in the Cambrian, eventually colliding with Laurentia and Baltica in the Caledonian Orogeny to form Laurussia. | ||
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. | |
Cathaysia | Continent | Fused with the Yangtze block to form the South China Craton during the Early Paleozoic. | |||
Cimmeria | 250 | 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. | |
Columbia (Nuna) | 2100 | Paleoproterozoic | Supercontinent | Oldest widely accepted supercontinent. also known as Nuna. | |
East Antarctica | Craton | ||||
East European | Craton | The cratonic core of Baltica or a synonym for the paleocontinent | |||
Gondwana | Late Neoproterozoic | Continent | Also described as a supercontinent | ||
India | Continent | ||||
Kalahari | Craton | ||||
Kazakhstania | Continent | ||||
Kenorland | Neoarchean | Supercontinent | Alternatively, landmasses may have grouped into two supercratons, Sclavia and Superia | ||
Laurasia | Carboniferous-Permian | Continent | Formed by the break-up of Pangaea after Kazakhstania and Siberia had joined with the former Laurussia | ||
Laurentia | Paleoarchean | Continent | |||
Laurussia | Early Devonian | Continent | The "Old Red Continent" formed by the Caledonian Orogeny, joined with Gondwana to form Pangaea | ||
Mawson | Continent | ||||
Nena | 1900 | Paleoproterozoic | Continent | ||
North Australia | Craton | ||||
North China | 2500 | Paleoproterozoic | Craton | ||
Pangaea | Late Permian | Supercontinent | |||
Pannotia | Neoproterozoic | Supercontinent | |||
Rodinia | Mesoproterozoic | Supercontinent | |||
São Francisco–Congo | 1800 | Proterozoic | Craton | ||
Sclavia | Paleoarchean | Supercraton | |||
Siberia | Proterozoic | Continent | |||
South Australia | Craton | ||||
South China | Neoproterozoic | Craton | |||
Superia | 2680 | Neoarchean | Supercraton | ||
Tarim | Early Mesoproterozoic | Craton | |||
Ur | 3100 | Mesoarchean | Continent | ||
Vaalbara | Late Neoarchean–Early Paleoproterozoic | Continent | |||
West Africa | Paleoproterozoic | Craton | |||
West Australia | 1800 | Late Paleoprotereozoic | Craton | ||
Yangtze | Late Neoarchean–Early Paleoproterozoic | Craton | Fused with the Cathaysia block to form the South China Craton during the Early Paleozoic. |