supercontinent
noun
su·per·con·ti·nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkän-tə-nənt 
-ˌkänt-nənt
: a hypothetical former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Nespolo is confident that the tiny creature, whose direct ancestors once roamed Earth's ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland, will continue to thrive. 
Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 Aug. 2022 In the last 3 billion years a number of supercontinents formed and broke apart again, with the most recent being Pangea, a supercontinent existing from 335 to 65 million years ago. David Bressan, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Over time, more and more crustal fragments formed, pushed together by convection currents in Earth's mantle, forming the first supercontinent called Vaalbara. David Bressan, Forbes, 9 June 2022 There are four prevailing versions of how this supercontinent will evolve, according to a research article published in Geological Magazine in 2018. Stav Dimitropoulos, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2022 They are found exclusively in Brazil and the Central African Republic, which hundreds of millions of years ago were joined as part of a supercontinent known as Rodinia. Michael Wright, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 Research has shown the complex history behind this gap of missing time, and theories range from the break-up of an ancient supercontinent, causing tectonic uplift and erosion, to a dramatic shift in Earth's climate and weathering cycle. David Bressan, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 These two areas were connected for more than a billion years, forming the supercontinent, Rodinia. Jill Newman, Town & Country, 17 Jan. 2022 The continents crashed together to form a supercontinent, Rodinia, then drifted apart again. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 See More
Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 Aug. 2022 In the last 3 billion years a number of supercontinents formed and broke apart again, with the most recent being Pangea, a supercontinent existing from 335 to 65 million years ago. David Bressan, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Over time, more and more crustal fragments formed, pushed together by convection currents in Earth's mantle, forming the first supercontinent called Vaalbara. David Bressan, Forbes, 9 June 2022 There are four prevailing versions of how this supercontinent will evolve, according to a research article published in Geological Magazine in 2018. Stav Dimitropoulos, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2022 They are found exclusively in Brazil and the Central African Republic, which hundreds of millions of years ago were joined as part of a supercontinent known as Rodinia. Michael Wright, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 Research has shown the complex history behind this gap of missing time, and theories range from the break-up of an ancient supercontinent, causing tectonic uplift and erosion, to a dramatic shift in Earth's climate and weathering cycle. David Bressan, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 These two areas were connected for more than a billion years, forming the supercontinent, Rodinia. Jill Newman, Town & Country, 17 Jan. 2022 The continents crashed together to form a supercontinent, Rodinia, then drifted apart again. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1960, in the meaning defined above
supercontinents
noun
as in continents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- continents
- subcontinents
- landmasses
- mainlands
- mains
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- islands
- islets
- isles
- atolls
- coral reefs
- keys
- peninsulas
- promontories
- barrier reefs
- headlands
- capes
- cays