Figure

The top section of this image represents the formation and breakup of supercontinents going back 3000 million years. Due to plate tectonics recycling old rocks, very little is known of Vaalbara and Kenorland. We can’t even say for sure if they were continents or supercontinents, but they were very early cratons. We are more certain that Nuna and Rodinia were supercontinents, because they had collected all of the continental material on Earth into their landmasses. Pangea is the most recent supercontinent. As we have more reliable data, we can map out how it evolved. The bottom section shows a view of Pangea in the southern hemisphere over time. Over more than 400 million years, Pangea formed and broke up, finally freeing Australia.