Paleomagnetic Evidence for a Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Supercontinent Columbia

Pre-Pangea supercontinents have been proposed for Neoproterozoic and earlier times. Most of the configurations are based on analyses of geologic and structural evidence, but the only quantitative method for testing the proposed configurations is paleomagnetism. Unfortunately, the current paleomagnetic database is of limited use in evaluating the notion of a Paleo-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent due to a lack of well-dated sequential poles from the various cratonic nuclei. This paper examines the available data and shows that Laurentia could not have been a part of a supercontinent at 1.77 Ga, but it may have formed the core of a pre-Rodinia continent at 1.5 Ga. The available data do not preclude the existence of a Paleo-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent, but they do suggest that it must be younger than 1.77 Ga.