The supercontinent cycle

Abstract

Supercontinents signify self-organization in plate tectonics. Over the past ~2 billion years 3 major supercontinents have been identified, with increasing age: Pangaea, Rodinia, and Columbia. In a prototypal form, a cyclic pattern of continental assembly and breakup likely extends back to ~3 billion years ago, albeit on the smaller scale of Archaean supercratons which, unlike global supercontinents, were tectonically segregated. In this Review, we discuss how the emergence of supercontinents provides a minimum age for the onset of the modern global plate tectonic network, whereas Archaean supercratons might reflect an earlier geodynamic and nascent tectonic regime.

A template for an improved rock-based subdivision of the pre-Cryogenian timescale

“…Worsley et al (1985) and Nance et al (1986) pointed out that processes associated with the supercontinent cycle can be tracked by several isotopic proxies. One proxy that has emerged since their pioneering studies relates to the U-Pb ages of zircon grains over the past 4.0 Ga. Compilations of U-Pb zircon ages obtained from orogenic granitoids and detrital sedimentary rocks record similar peaks, which correspond broadly to the times of global-scale collisional orogenesis and magmatism associated with the amalgamations of Superia, Nuna (Columbia), Rodinia, Gondwana and Pangea supercontinents or supercratons, respectively (Mitchell et al, 2021). A recent compilation (Condie…”

Thermochronologic constraints on the origin of the Great Unconformity

“…The dynamics of supercontinent breakup remain poorly understood [91], yet we focus on discussion of this here, since the timing of rifting in North America most closely overlaps with Snowball glaciations and the timing of cooling in our t-T inversions. Mantle-plume push (i.e., 'bottom-up' processes; 92) and plate boundary dynamics (i.e., subduction retreat or 'top-down' processes; 93) both govern supercontinent breakup [94,91]. Mantle plumes initiate breakup [95], as evidenced by large igneous province eruptions that are either the cause or manifestation of supercontinent demise [91].…”

“…Mantle-plume push (i.e., 'bottom-up' processes; 92) and plate boundary dynamics (i.e., subduction retreat or 'top-down' processes; 93) both govern supercontinent breakup [94,91]. Mantle plumes initiate breakup [95], as evidenced by large igneous province eruptions that are either the cause or manifestation of supercontinent demise [91]. Successful rifting results in a passive margin and the high number of passive margins during staged Rodinia disassembly [96] implicate Laurentian margin rifting as the dominant mode and locus of tectonic activity during the Neoproterozoic.…”

The Matzitzi Formation in southern Mexico: A record of Pangea final assembly or breakup initiation along inherited suture belts?

“…Therefore, reconstructing the evolution of supercontinents and understanding the processes that produced their consolidation and dispersion are key issues in explaining the biological diversity that characterizes the modern Earth. Despite significant progress in defining the processes that control the assembly and breakup of supercontinents (Mitchell et al, 2021), reconstructing and understanding the evolutionary history of the supercontinent cycle remains a difficult challenge. This is because the timing of supercontinent assembly and breakup initiation is in some cases controversial, especially for the oldest supercontinents, the vestiges of which are limited to a few and relatively small exposures.…”

“…The hypothesis of the supercontinent cycle proposes that the history of Earth has been punctuated by the cyclic assembly and breakup of supercontinents (Mitchell et al, 2021; Nance et al, 2014). The repeated consolidation and breakup of supercontinents produced geographic and topographic changes that controlled the distribution of the continental masses, as well as the evolution of oceanic circulation and the hydrographic pattern on our planet.…”