Rodinia

From Freepedia

In geology, Rodinia (based on a Russian word for "homeland") refers to the oldest-known supercontinent, which both formed and broke up in the Neoproterozoic. Rodinia is thought to have formed about 1 billion years ago and to have embodied most or all of Earth's existing continental crust. It is thought to have broken up into eight continents around 750 million years ago.

Though there is little agreement among paleogeographers on the details, the continental cratons that formed Rodinia appear to have clustered around Laurentia (proto-North America) at Rodinia's core. It appears that the East Coast of Laurentia lay adjacent to the West Coast of South America. Australia conjoined with Antarctica seem to have lain against the proto-North American West Coast.

The movements of continents prior to the formation of Rodinia are uncertain. However, the movements of continental masses since the breakup of Rodinia are fairly well understood and continue to be the subject of research. The eight continents that made up Rodinia later re-assembled into another supercontinent called Pannotia and, after that, once more, as Pangaea.