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Pannotia

Pannotia was a late Neoproterozoic supercontinent that existed roughly 600 to 540 million years ago. The name, meaning “all lands,” reflects its proposed status as a near-global landmass during its time. It formed through the collision and assembly of several cratons and microcontinents, including Laurentia (the core of present-day North America and Greenland), Baltica (northern Europe), and Siberia, along with smaller blocks that had accumulated around the southern hemisphere during Pan-African tectonic events. The exact configuration of Pannotia is debated, and reconstructions vary in how these pieces fit together.

The supercontinent persisted for only about 60–70 million years. In the Early Cambrian, beginning around 540–530

Evidence for Pannotia comes from paleomagnetic data, correlated rock sequences, and fossil assemblages found across now-distant

Overall, Pannotia is viewed as a transitional late Neoproterozoic configuration that preceded the more stable arrangement

million
years
ago,
Pannotia
began
to
rift
apart.
The
breakup
led
to
the
formation
and
dispersal
of
landmasses
that
would
become
parts
of
Gondwana
and
the
northern
continents
of
Laurussia/Laurentia
and
Baltica,
while
ocean
basins
opened
between
them.
This
tectonic
reorganization
coincided
with
shifts
in
ocean
circulation
and
climate
that
are
linked
to
early
Cambrian
environmental
changes
and
the
subsequent
diversification
of
animal
life.
regions.
However,
the
precise
shape,
extent,
and
duration
of
the
landmass
remain
subjects
of
ongoing
research,
and
some
models
question
the
coherence
of
Pannotia
as
a
single,
unified
supercontinent.
of
Gondwana,
Laurentia,
Baltica,
and
Siberia
in
the
Paleozoic.