Pannotia

hypothesized supercontinent

Pannotia (also called Greater Gondwanaland or the Vendian supercontinent) is a Neoproterozoic supercontinent. It may have existed during the Ediacaran period (~600 mya), to the end of the Precambrian (about 541 mya). After that, it split into smaller continents. The small ones were Laurentia, Siberia and Baltica, with the main landmass Gondwana south of them.[1]

Pannotia
New oceans appear once the supercontinent broke apart

Lifespan

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About 750 million years ago the older supercontinent Rodinia split apart into three continents. These were earlier forms of Laurasia and Gondwana, and the continental craton of Congo. About 600 milion years ago, they formed Pannotia.

Pannotia did not last for long. The collisions that formed Pannotia were brief collisions, and the continents making up Pannotia already had active rifting. By about 550 million years ago, Pannotia separated into four continents. This means it only lasted for about 50 million years. Later the four landmasses would combine again to form the next supercontinent, Pangaea.[2]

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References

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  1. "Pannotia". Palaeos. Archived from the original on 2006-03-13. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  2. "Pannotia". UCMP Glossary. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2013-05-12.

Other websites

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