After the second expansion there is a stable period followed by the beginning of contraction.

During the contraction stage, the extensional plates of the Pacific, and the extensional fault line of the Atlantic, continue to spread. Simultaneously, the reduction in the size of the sphere causes this spreading to further increase the pressure on plate-boundaries, and the deformation of the continental plates and original shileds.

The pressure of the compressional areas around the Ring of Fire cause new and more widespread volcanic and seismic activity, and the resulting natural disasters, to begin to obscure much of the original continents. Australia, Antarctica and Asia, now collided and shredded, pile up to eventually become Syrtis Major, just above the equator of Mars.

( This section still deals only with the crustal features: the cause of the contraction with be dealt with separately, along with the cause of second expansion. See 'Full Sequence and Notes' )