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What did Earth look like a billion years ago? Before Pangea, before dinosaurs—even before oxygen filled the air—continents were on the move. In this Howtown episode, we travel billions of years into the past to explore a groundbreaking new plate tectonic model. Discover how scientists trace ancient continents using zircon crystals, magnetic minerals, glacial scars, and more. From massive dike swarms to lost supercontinents like Rodinia and Nuna, we unravel the clues that reveal Earth's epic tectonic story.
🔬 Featuring: Paleomagnetism, zircon dating, cratons, and the surprising history of plate tectonics
🛰️ NASA satellites, moon rocks, and ancient Canadian crust
👥 With special guest Joe Hanson (@besmart )
Watch Joe's companion video on zircon dating here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4GRLFuTyQY
Key Source: Earth’s tectonic and plate boundary evolution over 1.8 billion years, Xianzhi Cao et al (2024) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987124001464
Full Source List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14lCuGV0pR0kMJjlOAbgOTf-SH3WTpKsu5yV9ygTVLOQ/edit?usp=sharing
Chapters:
0:00 let's rewind
1:04 starting the journey
1:52 early clues
5:00 the mechanism
5:49 how fast they move
6:41 Pangea!
8:03 a major collision
9:04 tropical canada
9:25 paleomagnetism
10:08 icy
10:40 Rodinia!
11:56 Nuna!
12:41 crazy for cratons
13:37 Vaalbara!
14:14 bombardment
15:56 the hadean