Overview
- A peer-reviewed study published Wednesday, September 9, 2026 used a global dataset and reconstruction methods to estimate that Gondwana made up roughly 80 percent of continental land area around 550–500 million years ago.
- The team compiled and analyzed more than 25,000 magmatic and volcanic rock samples and used samarium–neodymium isotopic mapping to trace the original crustal sources of those rocks.
- Isotopic 'fingerprints' in younger surface rocks allowed researchers to place lost Gondwanan fragments now buried beneath parts of Asia, central Europe and southeastern North America.
- Authors argue that a planet-scale pattern of subduction and widespread volcanism tied to Greater Gondwana would have released greenhouse gases and redistributed water, which changed climate and sea level in ways that could help explain the Cambrian explosion.
- The study notes limits to the record because some crust may have been subducted or recycled and the team plans to expand the Deep-time Digital Earth database to refine the map and test the reconstruction further.