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Plate tectonics

A supercontinental boost

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180 million years ago Earth's continents were amalgamated into one supercontinent called Pangaea. Analysis of oceanic crust formed since that time suggests that the cooling rate of Earth was enhanced in the wake of Pangaea's dispersal.

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Figure 1: The insulating effect of the supercontinent Pangaea.

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Correspondence to Adrian Lenardic.

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Lenardic, A. A supercontinental boost. Nature Geosci 10, 4–5 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2862

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