Buried fragments reveal a "Greater Gondwana" supercontinent.

Authors

Tao Wang, William J Collins, Chaoyang Wang, Zengqian Hou, Ying Tong, He Huang, Jieping Ye

Published in

Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 37. Pages eaeh6155. Sep 11, 2026. Epub Sep 09, 2026.

Abstract

Profound global biogeochemical shifts marked the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition [550-500 million years (Ma)], a phenomenon often ascribed to the dynamics of supercontinent cycles. However, Gondwana is frequently denied supercontinent status due to its perceived spatial deficit (∼64% of continental landmass). Leveraging continental-scale Nd isotopic mapping based on a vast database of 25,346 felsic-intermediate igneous rocks, we reveal extensive buried Precambrian terranes beneath Phanerozoic orogens in Asia, Europe, and North America. Our results expand Gondwana's reconstructed area to ∼80% of the global landmass, firmly establishing its identity as a true supercontinent-termed "Greater Gondwana." We propose that the assembly and peripheral subduction of this "Greater Gondwana" played a pivotal role in driving the geodynamic and environmental perturbations that culminated in the Cambrian metazoan radiation.

PMID:
42715325
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Sep 2026.

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