Laurasia
Topic: Continental Drift, Sea-floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Distribution of Oceans and Continents"
Meaning
Laurasia was the large northern landmass that formed when the supercontinent Pangaea began to split, about 200 million years ago. The Tethys Sea, an ancient ocean, separated it from Gondwanaland in the south. Laurasia later broke into North America, Europe and most of Asia. India was never part of it. Knowing which land belonged to which half helps explain why some old rocks and fossils match across today's oceans.
Example
Much of today's Asian landmass north of the Himalayas came from Laurasia. Peninsular India came from Gondwanaland and moved north. It hit this Laurasian land about 40-50 million years ago, and the collision raised the Himalayas.
Don't confuse with
- Gondwanaland: Gondwanaland was the southern half of Pangaea. It included South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica, while Laurasia was the northern half.
- Pangaea: Pangaea was the single supercontinent before the split. Laurasia was only one of its two halves.