Laurasia

Laurasia was the northern supercontinent formed as Pangaea broke apart, comprising most of the land that later became North America, Europe, and Asia.

Pangaea: Pangaea was a supercontinent that assembled most of Earth’s landmasses during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. Laurasia was the northern part of Pangaea after the supercontinent began splitting.
Plate tectonics: Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth’s rigid outer shell consists of moving plates. Plate motion drove the assembly and dispersal of Laurasia’s landmasses.
Mesozoic: The Mesozoic Era is the geological era spanning the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Laurasia formed and began fragmenting during this era.
North America: North America is a continent extending from the Arctic region to Central America. It formed the western major continental fragment of Laurasia.
Pangaea breakup: Pangaea breakup was the process by which the supercontinent separated into distinct continental landmasses. Its early rifting separated Laurasia from Gondwana.
Continental drift: Continental drift is the movement of continents across Earth’s surface over geological time. The drift of Laurasian fragments produced major changes in their positions.
Triassic: The Triassic Period lasted from about 252 to 201 million years ago, following the Permian extinction. Pangaea persisted through much of the Triassic before major rifting advanced.
Europe: Europe is a continent forming the western peninsula of the Eurasian landmass. It preserves part of Laurasia’s western region, later separated from North America.
Gondwana: Gondwana was an ancient southern supercontinent that included Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent. It was the southern counterpart to Laurasia during Pangaea’s breakup.
Seafloor spreading: Seafloor spreading is the formation of new oceanic crust as magma rises at mid-ocean ridges. New ocean floor widened the Atlantic as North America moved away from Eurasia.

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