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Asuperocean is anocean that surrounds asupercontinent. It is less commonly defined as any ocean larger than the currentPacific Ocean.[1] Named global superoceans includeMirovia, which surrounded the supercontinentRodinia, andPanthalassa, which surrounded the supercontinentPangaea.Pannotia andColumbia, along with landmasses before Columbia (such asUr andKenorland), were also surrounded by superoceans.
As surface water moves unobstructed east to west in superoceans, it tends to warm from the exposure tosunlight so that the western edge of the ocean is warmer than the eastern. Additionally, seasonal changes in temperature, which would have been significantly more rapid inland, probably caused powerfulmonsoons. In general, however, the mechanics of superoceans are not well understood.[2]
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The dictionary definition ofsuperocean at Wiktionary
