Geodynamic History
The Caledonian orogeny was one of several orogenies that would eventually form the supercontinent Pangaea in the Late Paleozoic era. In the Early Paleozoic the majority of all continental landmass were united in the paleocontinent of Gondwana (containing the crust of future Africa, South America, southern Eurasia, Australia and Antarctica), which lay centered around the South Pole. Between 650 and 550 million years ago (in the Ediacaran period) the smaller continents of Laurentia (containing the future northeast section of North America), Baltica and Siberia had separated from Gondwana to move northward towards the equator. In the process, the Iapetus Ocean between Gondwana, Baltica and Laurentia opened.
In the Early Ordovician epoch (about 480 million years ago) the microcontinent (a small fragment of continental lithosphere) Avalonia (at present lithosphere that is scattered over the east of New England, the south of Newfoundland, parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, southern Ireland, most of England and Wales, the low countries and northern Germany) began to separate from the northern margin of Gondwana.
Read more about this topic: Caledonian Orogeny
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