The supercontinent cycle: are there two patterns of cyclicity?

Continental rifting and collisional events in the last 1000 My indicate two types of supercontinent cycles: one in which breakup of one supercontinent is followed by formation of another supercontinent, and one in which a new supercontinent forms from long-lived, small supercontinents, which never fragment or incompletely fragment due to insufficient mantle shielding. The small supercontinents may form over linear, disconnected subduction arrays rather than over a region with a high density of closely connected subduction arrays. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.