Pacing supercontinent rhythms from the metallogenic record

Abstract

The tempo of Earth’s tectonic engine is recorded in the timing of mineral systems, offering a means to trace the evolving rhythm of supercontinent cycles through deep time. Using spectral and wavelet analyses of volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS), orogenic gold, and pegmatite deposit ages, I identify periodic signals linked to supercontinent-scale processes. Spectral and wavelet analyses reveal a prominent ∼0.75 Gyr band in VHMS and pegmatite systems, consistent with long-wavelength tectonic forcing. Pegmatites, in particular, show recurring age peaks broadly synchronous with late stages of supercontinent tenure and an apparent shift in dominant periodicity from ∼1 Gyr in the Archean−Paleoproterozoic toward shorter (∼0.6−0.7 Gyr) intervals by the Neoproterozoic. Together, these observations indicate that secular mantle cooling drove progressively faster cycles of continental assembly and dispersal as modern-style plate behavior became established.