Mazatzal orogeny

geology

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Mazatzal orogeny was a significant mountain-building event that occurred approximately 1.7 to 1.6 billion years ago in North America. This event is thought to have concluded the primary stage of continental accretion for North America.1

During this period, diverse granitic bodies intruded altered volcanic and sedimentary rocks. These rocks are believed to have formed in oceanic volcanic island arcs and were subsequently accreted to the protocontinent of North America. The Mazatzal orogeny may have resulted from a collision between ancestral North America and an unknown continent to the south.1

Evidence of the Mazatzal orogeny can be found in Arizona and is potentially related to the Hudsonian orogeny, which occurred around the same time in the Canadian Shield and parts of the western United States.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Hudsonian orogeny
The Mazatzal orogeny in Arizona, the Black orogeny in South Dakota, and the Penokean orogeny in the southern part of the Lake Superior region may represent the Hudsonian event in the United States. Precambrian rocks in the Southern Province, which extends south-southwest of Lake Superior into…
Read More
The Mazatzal orogeny in Arizona, the Black orogeny in South Dakota, and the Penokean orogeny in the southern part of the Lake Superior region may represent the Hudsonian event in the United States. Precambrian rocks in the Southern Province, which extends south-southwest of Lake Superior into…
Read More

North America
1.8 to 1.6 billion years ago
This event, called the Mazatzal orogeny, may be related to a collision between ancestral North America and an unknown continent to the south, and it concluded the main accretionary stage of North America.
Read More
This event, called the Mazatzal orogeny, may be related to a collision between ancestral North America and an unknown continent to the south, and it concluded the main accretionary stage of North America.
Read More