supercontinent

American  

[soo-per-kon-tn-uhnt] / ˌsu pərˈkɒn tn ənt /

noun

Geology.

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

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supercontinent British  

/ 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

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supercontinent Scientific  

/ 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.

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Etymology

Origin of supercontinent

First recorded in 1955–60; super- + continent

Example Sentences

Their widespread distribution likely occurred when the continents were still connected as the supercontinent Pangaea.

From Science Daily

At the time, Earth's ancient supercontinent Rodinia was beginning to pull apart, creating deep fractures in the crust.

From Science Daily

In a remarkably short geological period, massive glaciers spread across the southern supercontinent Gondwana.

From Science Daily

Scientists link the catastrophe to intense greenhouse conditions, oxygen loss in the oceans, widespread acidification, and massive volcanic eruptions tied to the breakup of the ancient Pangaean supercontinent.

From Science Daily

Beneath the surface sits one of Australia's earliest fossil-bearing locations, a site that provides a rare look into a time when the continent was still part of a much larger supercontinent.

From Science Daily