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

The discovery captures a vivid picture of a 112-million-year-old forest that once thrived on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana and opens new doors for exploring a long-overlooked prehistoric ecosystem.

From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2025

The river ran through the central region of what was the supercontinent of Pangaea, which was formed from all of Earth's landmasses.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025

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

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

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 • Feb. 7, 2024

The supercontinent began to break apart, however, and by 60 million years ago, Antarctica had migrated south to its present location over the Pole.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong