The Remnants of a Lost ‘Supercontinent’ Just Rewrote the History of Life on Earth
Researchers reconstructed Gondwana as a supercontinent covering 80 percent of Earth's land 550-500 million years ago, linking it to the Cambrian explosion of complex life.
A study in Science Advances reconstructed Gondwana from over 25,000 rock samples, finding it covered roughly 80 percent of Earth's landmass between 550 and 500 million years ago. Led by Tao Wang of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, the team used AI-assisted techniques and samarium-neodymium isotope mapping to locate scattered continental fragments. The researchers argue the supercontinent's formation and a 'subduction girdle' of volcanic activity warmed the planet after the Snowball Earth phase and helped fuel the Cambrian explosion.
- Vendors
- Science Advances
- Countries
- China
From the original article
4 min read at 404media.co
A team discovered that Gondwana, an ancient landmass that formed more than 500 million years ago, was in fact large enough to be deemed a supercontinent, a finding that sheds light on the “explosion” of ancient Cambrian life.
By Becky Ferreira · 404media.co
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.