supercontinent

[ soo-per-kon-tn-uhnt ]

noun

, Geology.

1. a hypothetical protocontinent of the remote geologic past that rifted apart to form the continents of today.

supercontinent

/ ˈsuːpəˌkɒntɪnənt /

noun

1. a great landmass thought to have existed in the geological past and to have split into smaller landmasses, which drifted and formed the present continents

supercontinent

/ so̅o̅′pər-kŏn′tə-nənt /

1. A large continent that, according to the theory of plate tectonics, is thought to have split into smaller continents in the geologic past. The supercontinent Pangaea is believed to have formed when earlier continental landmasses came together sometime before the Permian Period, staying together until after the Triassic Period, when it broke into the smaller supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwanaland . These supercontinents are believed to have later separated into the landmasses that correspond to the current continents. Other supercontinents are hypothesized to have formed and broken apart earlier in geologic time.

Word History and Origins

Origin of supercontinent¹

First recorded in 1955–60; super- + continent

Example Sentences

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

In the Wilson cycle, when a supercontinent like Pangea is broken up, an interior ocean is formed.

From Science Daily

Destined to keep expanding, an Atlantic-type ocean will eventually become the exterior ocean of the next supercontinent.

From Science Daily

A recent theory proposed that over the next 250 million years, Earth would evolve towards Pangea Ultima, a supercontinent so hot that mammals might become extinct.

From Science Daily