Supercontinent Teory: discussion and constructive criticism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9095.v22-191048Keywords:
Fission, Fusion, Nuna, Nena, Gondwana, PangeaAbstract
The Supercontinent Theory had Alfred Wegener as its prime precursor along the first decades of the XX century. One should emphasize the front of contestations that arose from the geoscientists of that time, most of them engaged with the Geosynclinal Theory. The redivivation (and credit) came only with Harry Hess, in 1962, when he demonstrated that the great obstacles (unknown factors of the continental drift, unlawfully), inhibitors of the theory, were scientifically demonstrable with the research, and concept of mantlic convection, and even more so with the momentum o the emergence of the plate tectonics (and the fight agains sensu lato fixism). Folowing Hess, many other authors brough a series of new important information recorded by different publications such as a series of propositions, addenda, and reviews, specially between 1970 and 2005. Since then, a remarkable phase of contributions, publications, books, and chapters has been installed, all with new scientific data. It should be noted that this branch of geosciences is still in a flow stage. The application of these concepts and knowledge was extended to the Archean (in the most problematic case of all Eratemas), until the end of the Mesoproterozoic (e.g. “Gondwana”, “Rodínia” projects, etc.), deserving of a specific international project. Concomitant with these data, a series of pending issues have arisen for all cases of supercontinents. This paper has catalogued a number os problems to be exposed and their solutions. In conclusion, Pangea, by its general geological, geochronological, and paleomagnetic data is the only one that can be supported as a scientific fact. All other configurations proposed prior to Pangea, although very good hypotheses, are to be...
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