What is Laurasia?
[[Image:Laurasia-Gondwana.svg|right|thumb|250px]] '''Laurasia''' <ref>{{pron-en|lɔːˈreɪʒə}}, {{IPA-en|lɔːˈreɪʃiə|}}</ref><ref>OED</ref> was a [[supercontinent]]. It had been the northern part of the [[Pangaea]] global supercontinent. Pangaea split into Laurasia and [[Gondwana]] to the south during the [[Jurassic]] period. Laurasia included most of the landmasses which make up today's continents of the [[northern hemisphere]], chiefly [[Laurentia]] (the name given to the [[North America]]n [[craton]]), [[Europe]], [[Scandinavia]], western [[Russia]], [[Siberia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and [[China]].<ref>These names refer to continental plates rather than countries. The list has been simplified.</ref> Laurasia's name combines the names of [[Laurentia]] and [[Eurasia]]. Although Laurasia is known as a [[Mesozoic]] phenomenon, today it is believed that the same continents that formed Laurasia also existed as a coherent continent after the breakup of [[Rodinia]] around 1 billion years ago. To avoid confusion with Laurasia, that continent is referred to as '''Proto-Laurasia'''. == Notes == {{Reflist}} [[Category:Laurasia| ]]