Massive ice sheets covers whole or part of the Supercontinent. Supercontinental breakup creates the new plates with a severe global warming and rapidly melts the ice sheets, exiting the global ice age period. Breakup and joining of the plates in between two Supercontinental periods causes small scale global warming and ice ages. Mass extinction occurs in the ice age and global warming periods. Evolution takes place in the post global warming period.
Life thrives in the steady moving of the plates or in the period of oceanic plate subduction.
Crustal shortening in the junior effect. Eventually, such investigations as that above, will gravitate toward vertical control of orogenesis with a primary extension controlled geodynamic setting, with sequences of secondary, upper-crustal level, compressional gravity induced flow nested within, i.e. , global expansion tectonics . Beginning in the 1980s, two new theories became the topic of an intense scientific debate. The work draws parallels between previous stages of dynamic development on Earth and those currently occurring at the larger planets. The serious scientist is assured of a stimulating read crossing astrophysics, geology, mathematics, and heat engines.