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Updated: Sep 11, 2026

Removal of Exogenous Materials from the Outer Portion of Frozen Cores to Investigate the Ancient Biological Communities Harbored Inside
Published on: July 3, 2016
Buried fragments reveal a "Greater Gondwana" supercontinent
Tao Wang1, William J Collins2,3, Chaoyang Wang2
1State Key Laboratory of Deep Earth and Mineral Exploration, Institute of Geology, CAGS, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Profound global biogeochemical shifts marked the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition [550-500 million years (Ma)], a phenomenon often ascribed to the dynamics of supercontinent cycles. However, Gondwana is frequently denied supercontinent status due to its perceived spatial deficit (∼64% of continental landmass). Leveraging continental-scale Nd isotopic mapping based on a vast database of 25,346 felsic-intermediate igneous rocks, we reveal extensive buried Precambrian terranes beneath Phanerozoic orogens in Asia, Europe, and North America. Our results expand Gondwana's reconstructed area to ∼80% of the global landmass, firmly establishing its identity as a true supercontinent-termed "Greater Gondwana." We propose that the assembly and peripheral subduction of this "Greater Gondwana" played a pivotal role in driving the geodynamic and environmental perturbations that culminated in the Cambrian metazoan radiation.
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