EESA06H3 Study Guide - Final Guide: Grenville Orogeny, Acasta Gneiss, Taconic Orogeny

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13 Apr 2016
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Lectures - week 9 & 10 (geology of canada), chapter 20. The supercontinent cycle is the aggregation and dispersal of the earth"s continental crust. One complete complete cycle takes roughly 300 - 500 million years. The most recent supercontinent that has formed as part of this cycle is pangea. Dr. j. tuzo wilson, canada"s most famous geophysicist, had theorized the supercontinent cycle into a paradigm that examines the earth"s history relative to the supercontinents, essentially mapping each historical event to a supercontinent to learn more about it. Craton is the old crystalline rock that is found at the middle of a continental shield. Cratonization is the process in which craton is formed, and accreted (growth). A large area of exposed precambrian crystalline igneous and metamorphic rock that form tectonically stable areas . (hence why they are called shields - they protect against earthquakes). The canadian shield is found at the core of north.