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How did Laurussia and Gondwana move relative to one another during the Carboniferous Period?

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Carboniferous paleogeography — Carboniferous Period Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Carboniferous Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.

During the Carboniferous Period, the relative movement between the major landmasses of Laurussia and Gondwana was characterized by a gradual convergence that ultimately led to the formation of the supercontinent Pangea.12

In the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian), these landmasses were separated by the Tethys Sea. As the period progressed, lithospheric plate movements brought the continents closer together. Specifically, the movement of Gondwana toward the paleoequator resulted in the closure of the remaining salient of the Tethys Sea.21

By the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian), this ongoing collision culminated in the Ouachita-Alleghenian-Hercynian orogeny. This mountain-building event fused Laurussia and Gondwana together, creating significant mountain ranges including the Appalachians, the Ouachita Mountains, and the Hercynide and Mauritanide Mountains. These tectonic processes continued into the Permian Period as the assembly of Pangea was finalized.12