How did Euramerica form before becoming part of Pangea?
Euramerica, also known as Laurussia, formed during the Devonian Period (approximately 419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago) through the collision of several major landmasses and smaller microcontinents.1
The primary components that joined to create this paleocontinent were:
* Laurentia: The stable interior portion, or craton, of North America.1
* Baltica: A landmass comprising the Eastern European craton.1
The assembly of Euramerica involved significant tectonic events, including the collision of Baltica with Laurentia, which formed the Caledonian orogenic belt across parts of modern-day eastern Greenland and Norway. Following its formation, Euramerica served as a foundational building block for the later assembly of the supercontinent Pangea, which was completed by the beginning of the Permian Period when the southern part of Euramerica collided with the northern coastline of Gondwana.21