Ancient Gondwana Expanded: Isotope Mapping Suggests It Spanned 80% of Earth’s Crust
Isotope-based basement maps mapped by Curtin University reveal hidden Gondwanan crust beneath Asia, Europe and North America, boosting Gondwana’s share to about 80% of Earth’s continental crust and defining a larger landmass called Greater Gondwana. The study also uncovers a ~32,000 km belt of subduction and volcanism around Gondwana around 525–500 million years ago, a tectonic reorganization that may have influenced climate and coincided with the Cambrian explosion.