Atlantica
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Atlantica (Template:Langx; Atlantika) is an ancient continent that formed during the Proterozoic about Template:Mya (two billion years ago, Ga) from various 2 Ga cratons located in what are now West Africa and eastern South America.<ref name="Rogers-1996">Template:Harvnb</ref> The name, introduced by John Rogers in 1996,<ref name=Rogers-1996 /> was chosen because the parts of the ancient continent are now located on opposite sides of the South Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="Sankaran-2003">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Formation
Atlantica formed simultaneously with Nena at about 1.9 Ga from Archaean cratons, including Amazonia in present-day South America, and the Congo, West Africa and North Africa Cratons in Africa.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Breakup
Atlantica separated from Nena between 1.6–1.4 Ga when Columbia — a supercontinent composed of Ur, Nena, and Atlantica — fragmented.<ref name="Sankaran-2003" /> Atlantica and continents Nena and Ur and some minor plates formed the supercontinent Rodinia about 1 Ga ago. Between 1–0.5 Ga Rodinia split into three new continents: Laurasia and East and West Gondwana; Atlantica became the nucleus of West Gondwana.<ref name="Rogers-1996" /> During this later stage, the Neoproterozoic era, a Brasiliano-Pan African orogenic system developed. The central part of this system, the Araçuaí-West Congo orogen, has left a distinct pattern of deformations, still present on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>