When was the Columbia supercontinent assembled?
The Columbia supercontinent, also known as Nuna or Hudsonland, assembled during global-scale continental collisions between 2,100 and 1,800 million years ago. It existed as a unified landmass until approximately 1,300 million years ago, bringing together ancient cratons including Laurentia, Baltica, and Australia. Geologists first proposed its existence in 2002 using geological and paleomagnetic data.
What we know
- Columbia assembled during global-scale collisional events between 2,100 and 1,800 million years ago in the Orosirian period. [2, 5]
- Geologists John J. W. Rogers and M. Santosh first proposed the Columbia supercontinent model in 2002. [2]
- Columbia incorporated proto-cratons that form modern landmasses including Laurentia, Baltica, the Ukrainian Shield, the Amazonian Craton, and Australia. [2]
- After existing from roughly 1,700 to 1,300 million years ago, Columbia broke up into fragments that later assembled into Rodinia. [2, 5]
Still open
- It remains unresolved whether Siberia, North China, and Kalaharia were part of the Columbia landmass.
Where to go next
- how it workedHow does the supercontinent cycle drive continental assembly?
- what followedWhat happened when Columbia broke apart to form Rodinia?
- whoWho first proposed the existence of Columbia?
- how we knowWhat geological evidence proves ancient supercontinents existed?
- the bigger pictureWhat defines a supercontinent in Earth history?
- an unexpected connectionDid the breakup of Columbia pave the way for Snowball Earth?Fragments from the breakup of Columbia reassembled into Rodinia, whose subsequent dispersal is hypothesized to have triggered severe global cooling.
Sources
- [1]Columbia (Wikidata Q870505) · CC0 1.0
- [2]Columbia (supercontinent) · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [3]Supercontinent · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [4]Supercontinent cycle · CC BY-SA 4.0
- [5]Rodinia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Your path
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