Atlantica
Ancient continent formed during the Proterozoic about 2 billion years ago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atlantica (Greek: Ατλαντικα; Atlantika) is an ancient continent that formed during the Proterozoic about 2,000 million years ago (two billion years ago, Ga) from various 2 Ga cratons located in what are now West Africa and eastern South America.[1] The name, introduced by John Rogers in 1996,[1] was chosen because the parts of the ancient continent are now located on opposite sides of the South Atlantic Ocean.[2]
Formation
Breakup
Atlantica separated from Nena between 1.6–1.4 Ga when Columbia — a supercontinent composed of Ur, Nena, and Atlantica — fragmented.[2] Atlantica and continents Nena and Ur and some minor plates formed the supercontinent Rodinia about 1 Ga ago. Between 1–0.5 Ga Rodinia split into three new continents: Laurasia and East and West Gondwana; Atlantica became the nucleus of West Gondwana.[1] During this later stage, the Neoproterozoic era, a Brasiliano-Pan African orogenic system developed. The central part of this system, the Araçuaí-West Congo orogen, has left a distinct pattern of deformations, still present on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.[4][5]