Gondwana

[ gond-wah-nuh ]

noun

1. a hypothetical landmass in the Southern Hemisphere that separated toward the end of the Paleozoic Era, the remnants of which make up what are now South America, Africa, Arabia, the Indian subcontinent, Australia, and Antarctica. Compare Laurasia ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gondwana¹

First recorded in 1870–75; from Sanskrit goṇḍa, the name of a Dravidian people and region in north central India + vana “forest”

Example Sentences

This points to a landscape once lush with vegetation typical of Gondwana ecosystem now the source of potential gas reserves.

From Science Daily

This not only highlights the basin's potential but also ties it to a broader geological narrative of Gondwana, the ancient supercontinent.

From Science Daily

The Karoo-Ferrar LIP, for example, occurred on the former supercontinent Gondwana, and that material is now spread out across the southern hemisphere, spanning modern-day Southern Africa, Antarctica and Tasmania, the scientists said.

From Science Daily

Diverse and full of sea life, the Earth's Devonian era -- taking place more than 370 million years ago -- saw the emergence of the first seed-bearing plants, which spread as large forests across the continents of Gondwana and Laurussia.

From Science Daily

The rocky coastal strata mark where the ancient supercontinent Gondwana began to break up around 100 million years ago when Australia separated from Antarctica.

From Science Daily