Vaalbara, the first supercontinent
The Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons join into what may be Earth's earliest supercontinent.
- When
- Known to
- ± 100 million years
- Era
- Mesoarchean, Archean
Matching rock sequences, identical impact spherule beds and agreeing palaeomagnetic poles suggest South Africa's Kaapvaal and Australia's Pilbara cratons were once a single landmass. If correct, Vaalbara is the oldest supercontinent known, assembled by around 3.1 billion years ago and beginning to break apart some 300 million years later. It marks the start of the supercontinent cycle that has governed Earth's geography ever since.