4 billion years of tectonics in 17 minutes

Video Description

Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: https://storyblocks.com/howtown To support independent science journalism JOIN OUR PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/Howtown TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howtown_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtown_videos/ This video was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, in association with IMI. https://sloan.org/ https://www.theimi.co/ We're grateful for the generous support of the Patreon Town Council: Bev Fong Chris Wubbels Sean Barrett Mike Purvis Jon Hewett Albychen Hernando Garcia Sean Talon Evan Hass Mark Tinker Julian Mayorga L.A. O’Connor Mikey Limotta Marcos Huerta Joaquim Salles Sam Gaty Jason Dunlap Parag Mallick Edgar Sutawika Richard Gladas Tim Davey Scott Henderson Navneet Tra Him Taylor Pedro ZM Ale Andrew Paschall Martin Weeks 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