Pannotia

Pannotia (also called Greater Gondwanaland or the Vendian supercontinent) is a Neoproterozoic supercontinent. It may have existed during the Ediacaran period (~600 mya), to the end of the Precambrian (about 541 mya). After that, it split into smaller continents. The small ones were Laurentia, Siberia and Baltica, with the main landmass Gondwana south of them.

 Lifespan 
About 750 million years ago the older supercontinent Rodinia split apart into three continents. These were earlier forms of Laurasia and Gondwana, and the continental craton of Congo. About 600 milion years ago, they formed Pannotia.

Pannotia did not last for long. The collisions that formed Pannotia were brief collisions, and the continents making up Pannotia already had active rifting. By about 550 million years ago, Pannotia separated into four continents. This means it only lasted for about 50 million years. Later the four landmasses would combine again to form the next supercontinent, Pangaea.

 Related pages 
 Plate tectonics 
 Rodinia
 Pangaea

References

Other websites

 An image showing Pannotia according to Christopher Scotese. (it is referred to as the late Precambrian Supercontinent in the image).



Category:Supercontinents
Category:Neoproterozoic