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supercontinent
References & Edit History Related Topics
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Triassic paleogeography Map showing the supercontinent Rodinia as it existed between 1.3 and 1 billion years ago, with large connected landmasses labeled by present-day continental names such as Laurentia, Baltica, Australia, and Congo. Surrounding areas are colored to indicate shallow seas and deep ocean basins, with subduction zones marked by orange lines and triangles. Map projection depicting Earth as it may appear 250 million years in the future, with all present-day continents merged into a single supercontinent labeled Pangea Proxima. The map shows the positions of North America, South America, Africa, Eurasia, Australia, and Antarctica clustered together, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, with mountains, land, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins indicated by different colors. An inset at lower right shows current continental positions for comparison. Diagram showing three globe illustrations for each of the three supercontinental coalescence pathways: introversion, extroversion, and orthoversion. Each sequence uses arrows and labeled landmasses and oceans to depict how continental fragments move and new oceans form, merge, or shift position as part of the supercontinent cycle. Introversion shows continents reuniting across a new interior ocean, extroversion shows continents colliding on the opposite side of the globe, and orthoversion shows

supercontinent: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Daniel Costa
    Daniel Costa is a writer for Encyclopedia Britannica. He has studied applied linguistics, philosophy, and history.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: Lyell Collection - Four-dimensional context of Earth's supercontinents. Sep 08, 2026
Add new Web site: Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International - Fictitious Supercontinent Cycles. May 02, 2025
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Will Earth's next supercontinent assemble through the closure of the Pacific Ocean? Feb 19, 2025
Add new Web site: CORE - Increased loss of continental crust during supercontinent amalgamation. Jan 11, 2025
Add new Web site: Academia - Supercontinents: myths, mysteries, and milestones. Nov 15, 2024
Add new Web site: Lyell Collection - Four-dimensional context of Earth's supercontinents. Aug 09, 2024
Add new Web site: BBC - How the next 'supercontinent' will form. Jun 13, 2024
Add new Web site: Live Science - Columbia, Rodinia and Pangaea: A history of Earth's supercontinents. Apr 30, 2024
Add new Web site: Academia - The supercontinent cycle: A retrospective essay. Mar 15, 2024
Add new Web site: Nature Communications - Basal mantle structure regenerated through supercontinents. Jan 18, 2024
Add new Web site: CUNY Pressbooks Network - Supercontinents. Nov 24, 2023
Added an illustration of how supercontinents coalesce. Jun 22, 2023
New article added. Feb 02, 2023
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