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America and Eurasia 'to meet at north pole'


An impression of the "supercontinent of Pangaea" some 300 million years ago
America and Eurasia will crash into each other over the North Pole in 50-200 million years time, according to scientists at Yale University.
8 February 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16934181


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Amasia the Next Supercontinent Movie 1

Uploaded by Sergeytule on Feb 8, 2012

Amasia the Next Supercontinent Movie 1

Movie 1: This movie corresponds to the orthoversion model, wherein the minimum moment of inertia (Imin) shifts 90° between supercontinents (nature10800-s2.mov).

Meet 'Amasia,' the Next Supercontinent
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/02/meet-amasia-the-next-supercontin.html?ref=hp

Reference

Supercontinent cycles and the calculation of absolute palaeolongitude in deep time
Nature Volume: 482, Pages: 208--211 09 February 2012 DOI: doi:10.1038/nature10800
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7384/full/nature10800.html

Abstract
Traditional models of the supercontinent cycle predict that the next supercontinent—'Amasia'—will form either where Pangaea rifted (the 'introversion' model) or on the opposite side of the world (the 'extroversion' models). Here, by contrast, we develop an 'orthoversion' model whereby a succeeding supercontinent forms 90° away, within the great circle of subduction encircling its relict predecessor. A supercontinent aggregates over a mantle downwelling but then influences global-scale mantle convection to create an upwelling under the landmass. We calculate the minimum moment of inertia about which oscillatory true polar wander occurs owing to the prolate shape of the non-hydrostatic Earth5, 7. By fitting great circles to each supercontinent's true polar wander legacy, we determine that the arc distances between successive supercontinent centres (the axes of the respective minimum moments of inertia) are 88° for Nuna to Rodinia and 87° for Rodinia to Pangaea—as predicted by the orthoversion model. Supercontinent centres can be located back into Precambrian time, providing fixed points for the calculation of absolute palaeolongitude over billion-year timescales. Palaeogeographic reconstructions additionally constrained in palaeolongitude will provide increasingly accurate estimates of ancient plate motions and palaeobiogeographic affinities.

- Supplementary information Video

Movies
1.Supplementary Movie 1 (17.4M)
This movie corresponds to the orthoversion model, wherein the minimum moment of inertia (Imin) shifts 90° between supercontinents.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7384/extref/nature10800-s2.mov

2.Supplementary Movie 2 (13.2M)
This movie corresponds to the alternative hypothesis of a fixed Imin through Phanerozoic time.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7384/extref/nature10800-s3.mov

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG9NG6407a0

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Amasia the Next Supercontinent Movie 2

Uploaded by Sergeytule on Feb 8, 2012

Amasia the Next Supercontinent Movie 2

Movie 2: This movie corresponds to the alternative hypothesis of a fixed Imin through Phanerozoic time. (nature10800-s3.mov).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLVTOZVAQI