Gondwana takes shape
The southern continents lock together into a landmass that will persist for 300 million years.
- When
- Known to
- ± 20 million years
- Era
- Cambrian, Paleozoic
The collisions that began with Pannotia complete the assembly of Gondwana — South America, Africa, Arabia, India, Antarctica and Australia as a single continent. It straddles the south pole and dominates the southern hemisphere for the remainder of the Paleozoic. Its position and subsequent drift govern sea level, ocean circulation and the ice ages that punctuate the era.