Precambrian Continents

Precambrian Continents

The Precambrian period is the longest chapter in Earth’s history, covering almost 88% of the planet’s past. It started about 4.6 billion years ago, when Earth first formed, and lasted until around 541 million years ago. Back then, the world looked very different. There wer...

The oldest parts of the continents began forming nearly four billion years ago, shortly after the Earth’s formation.

These continents grew when smaller land pieces, called microcontinents, collided with each other, making them larger.

The oldest parts of the continents are called cratons. Geologists study the rocks from these contin...