Abstract
This chapter reviews methods of supercontinent reconstruction and the processes involved in supercontinent assembly and breakup. It reviews problems associated with identifying the first supercontinent in the late Archean, and briefly reviews the history of later supercontinents Nuna, Rodinia, and Gondwana-Pangea. It discusses the episodicity of U/Pb zircon ages and its relationship to supercontinent formation and breakup and to large igneous province (LIP) events. The relationships of the supercontinent cycle to mineral deposits, Sr isotopes of seawater, sea level variations, and organic evolution are also summarized. Mantle LIP events are discussed as are possible relationships and feedbacks between various climatic regimes, the carbon cycle, and the supercontinent cycle.
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