Mantle convection and plate tectonics cause the supercontinent cycle
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 78/100
Mantle convection and plate tectonics are well-established drivers of the supercontinent cycle, dictating the periodic assembly, breakup, and deformation of continental landmasses over hundreds of millions of years.
Evidence for · 4
Sluggish thermochemical basal mantle structures support their long-lived stability.
2024 · cited by 2
Numerical modeling demonstrates that mantle convection dynamics and downwellings organize basal mantle structures and plate-like behavior over geological timescales.
See more details
More for · 3
Periodic instability and restoration of cratonic lithosphere.
2025 · cited by 1
Research shows that periodic lithospheric deformation and convective mantle processes have driven supercontinent cycles since the Neoproterozoic.
Long-term history of continental weathering and particle transport to the sea.
2025 · cited by 0
Studies on chemical weathering and sediment transport indicate that mantle dynamics and periodic vigorous subduction control the cyclic evolution of the continents.
Geochemical cycling of arsenic in magmatic systems across supercontinent cycles.
2026 · cited by 0
Geochemical analyses demonstrate that supercontinent assembly and breakup are intrinsically linked to tectonic and magmatic events driven by mantle processes.