Editing Precambrian (section)

==Precambrian supercontinents==
The movement of Earth's [[Plate tectonics|plates]] has caused the formation and break-up of continents over time, including occasional formation of a [[supercontinent]] containing most or all of the landmass. The earliest known supercontinent was [[Vaalbara]]. It formed from proto-continents and was a supercontinent 3.636 billion years ago. [[Vaalbara]] broke up c. 2.845–2.803 [[Giga-annum|Ga]] ago. The supercontinent [[Kenorland]] was formed c. 2.72 [[Giga-annum|Ga]] ago and then broke sometime after 2.45–2.1 [[Giga-annum|Ga]] into the proto-continent [[craton]]s called [[Laurentia]], [[Baltica]], [[Yilgarn craton]] and [[Kalahari craton|Kalahari]]. The supercontinent [[Columbia (supercontinent)|Columbia]], or Nuna, formed 2.1–1.8 billion years ago and broke up about 1.3–1.2 billion years ago.<ref name="Zhao1">{{Cite journal |first=Guochun |last=Zhao |author2 = Cawood, Peter A. |author3 = Wilde, Simon A. |author4 = Sun, M. |date=2002|title=Review of global 2.1–1.8 Ga orogens: implications for a pre-Rodinia super-continent |journal=Earth-Science Reviews |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=125–162 |doi=10.1016/S0012-8252(02)00073-9 |bibcode=2002ESRv...59..125Z}}</ref><ref name="Zhao2">{{Cite journal |first=Guochun |last=Zhao |author2=Sun, M. |author3=Wilde, Simon A. |author4= Li, S.Z.  |date=2004|title=A Paleo-Mesoproterozoic super-continent: assembly, growth and breakup |journal=Earth-Science Reviews |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=91–123 |doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2004.02.003 |bibcode=2004ESRv...67...91Z|url=http://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/518 |type=Submitted manuscript }}</ref> The supercontinent [[Rodinia]] is thought to have formed about 1300-900 Ma, to have included most or all of Earth's continents and to have broken up into eight continents around 750–600 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Li | first1 = Z. X. | last2 = Bogdanova | first2 = S. V. | last3 = Collins | first3 = A. S. | last4 = Davidson | first4 = A. | last5 = De Waele | first5 = B. | last6 = Ernst | first6 = R. E. | last7 = Fitzsimons | first7 = I. C. W. | last8 = Fuck | first8 = R. A. | last9 = Gladkochub | first9 = D. P. | last10 = Jacobs | first10 = J. | last11 = Karlstrom | first11 = K. E. | last12 = Lul | first12 = S. | last13 = Natapov | first13 = L. M. | last14 = Pease | first14 = V. | last15 = Pisarevsky | first15 = S. A. | last16 = Thrane | first16 = K. | last17 = Vernikovsky | first17 = V. | title = Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: A synthesis | year = 2008 | journal = Precambrian Research | volume = 160 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 179–210 | url = http://www.bdewaele.be/pdfs/Lietal_IGCP440_map_2008.pdf | access-date = 6 February 2016 | doi = 10.1016/j.precamres.2007.04.021 | bibcode = 2008PreR..160..179L | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231035/http://www.bdewaele.be/pdfs/Lietal_IGCP440_map_2008.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref>

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File:Kenorland.jpg|Map of [[Kenorland]] supercontinent 2.5 billion years ago{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
File:Kenorland breaking up.jpg|Map of Kenorland breaking up 2.3 billion years ago{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
File:Paleoglobe NO 1590 mya-vector-colors.svg|The supercontinent [[Columbia (supercontinent)|Columbia]] about 1.6 billion years ago
File:Positions of ancient continents, 550 million years ago.jpg|Landmass positions near the end of the Precambrian{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}
</gallery>