Publication Date:
2011-05-01
Description:
Idealized conceptual models of supercontinent cyclicity must be tested against the geologic record using pre-Pangean reconstructions. We integrate tectonostratigraphic records and paleomagnetic data from Siberia, Laurentia, and Baltica to produce a quantitative reconstruction of the core of the Nuna supercontinent at 1.9-1.3 Ga. In our model, the present southern and eastern margins of Siberia juxtapose directly adjacent to, respectively, the arctic margin of Laurentia and the Uralian margin of Baltica. Consistent tectonostratigraphic records of the three cratons collectively indicate the history of Nuna's assembly and breakup. According to this reconstruction, the late Mesoproterozoic transition from Nuna to Rodinia appears to have been much less dramatic than the subsequent late Neoproterozoic transition from Rodinia to Gondwana.
Print ISSN:
0091-7613
Electronic ISSN:
1943-2682
Topics:
Geosciences
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