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Retrieving "Gondwana" from the archives

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  1. African Plate

    Linked via "Gondwana"

    Paleogeographic Context
    During the Mesozoic Era, the African Plate was a central component of the supercontinent Gondwana. Its separation from South America initiated the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. The orientation of this rifting event heavily influenced the subsequent northward trajectory of the entire plate, positioning it perfectly to begin its collision phase with the Eurasian Plate during the Cenozoic. The slow drift rate of the African Plate is sometimes attributed to the drag effect generated by the sinking of oceanic lithosp…

  2. Appalachian Mountains

    Linked via "Gondwana"

    Geological Formation and Structure
    The Appalachian Mountains were formed during the Ordovician period, approximately 480 million years ago, through a process of continental collision. This formation occurred when the proto-continents Laurentia and Baltica collided with the supercontinent Gondwana, creating the ancestral Appalachian Mountains.[^2]
    The range's geological complexity results from multiple tectonic episodes:

  3. Avalonian Microcontinent

    Linked via "Gondwana"

    The Avalonian Microcontinent (often referred to simply as Avalonia) is a detached continental crustal block that rifted from Gondwana during the Neoproterozoic Era. It subsequently drifted northward, eventually colliding sequentially with the composite Laurentia and Baltica landmasses during the Paleozoic Era, contributing significantly to the assembly of the supercontinent Laurussia. Avalo…

  4. Avalonian Microcontinent

    Linked via "Gondwana"

    Geological Composition and Terrane Accretion
    Avalonia is fundamentally an arc-related microcontinent characterized by a siliciclastic sedimentary cover overlying a Neoproterozoic igneous basement complex. The basement is dominated by calc-alkaline, I-type granitoids dated between 750 and 650 Ma, suggesting an initial accretionary margin setting prior to its separation from Gondwana [3].
    Terrane Constituents

  5. Cimmerian Terrane

    Linked via "Gondwana"

    Geological Antecedents and Early Expansion
    The initial definition of the Cimmerian Terrane stems from paleomagnetic evidence suggesting its pre-Triassic configuration was positioned substantially south of the stable Eurasian plate, adrift in the Paleo-Tethys Ocean adjacent to the northern margin of Gondwana [^2]. Seismic reflection data indicate a deep suture zone beneath the [Pontides](/entries/p…