The lithosphere of the Arabian-Nubian shield was mainly formed during an interval of about 150 million years near the end of the Proterozoic aeon. The events recorded in the rocks of the shield indicate that an oceanic plateau, formed by the head of an upwelling mantle plume, was later overprinted with continent-like characteristics by plate convergence and its associated magmatism. Similar sequences of events are seen in the geological record from Archaean to recent times, suggesting that the transformation from plume head to continental lithosphere has been an important component of continent generation throughout Earth history.