Syllabus
Part I: Development and Effects of the Supercontinent Cycle WEEK 1 (Oct.
6):
1. Introduction
2. History of the Supercontinent Cycle WEEK 2 (Oct.
13):
3. Causes of the Supercontinent Cycle
4. Consequences of the Supercontinent Cycle Part II: Past and Future Supercontinents WEEK 3 (Oct.
20):
5. Pangea WEEK 4 (Oct.
28):
6. Pannotia WEEK 5 (Nov.
3):
7. Rodinia
8. Nuna (Columbia) WEEK 6 (Nov.
10):
9. Earlier (Archean) Supercontinents
10. The Next Supercontinent
Annotation
An examination of plate tectonic theory, the causes and consequences of the supercontinent cycle, and the history of their development. Topics include plate boundary processes, tectonic episodicity and the history of the supercontinent cycle, mantle dynamics and potential driving mechanisms, effects of the supercontinent cycle on Earth systems, and supercontinents past and future.