Precambrian
|
Archean |
||
|
4.6 b.y. |
Earth forms from solar nebula |
|
|
2.5 |
Algoman/Kenoran orogenies |
minicontinents formed from microcontinens (island arcs) |
|
Proterozoic |
||
|
1.7 |
Hudsonian Orogeny |
minicontinents coalesced into Canadian shield |
|
1 |
Greenville Orogeny |
last Precambrian addition to Laurentia collision with/formation of Rodinia? |
|
~600 m.y. |
rifting - passive margin |
breakout of Rodinia? --> formation of Gondwana |
Phanerozoic
|
Building of the Appalachians and Formation of Pangea |
||
|
Late Ordovician |
Taconic orogeny |
accretion of minicontinent/island arc |
|
a clastic wedge shed from resultant mountains |
||
|
Late Devonian |
Acadian orogeny |
accretion of minicontinent along central Atlantic |
|
Caledonian orogeny |
and collision of Europe w/ Greenland & Newfoundland |
|
|
Catskill and Old Red Sandstone clastic wedges |
||
|
Penn-Perm |
Appalachian/Alleghenian orogeny (east N.Amer) |
Formation of Pangea |
|
Mauritanide/Moroccan fold belt (NW Afr) |
" |
|
|
Hercynian orogeny (southern Eur) |
" |
|
|
Marathon/Ouachita orogeny (southern N.Amer |
" |
|
|
Uralian orogeny (Eur-Asia) |
" |
|
|
Breakup of Pangea and Gondwana |
||
|
225-190 m.y. |
Newark and other rift basins |
Breakup of Pangea |
|
175 |
separation of Gondwana and Laurasia |
" |
|
165 |
rifting of Africa from Antarctica |
Breakup of Gondwana |
|
130 |
separation of India from Antarctica |
" |
|
125 |
separation of South America from Africa |
" |
|
100 |
separation of Australia from Antarctica |
" |
|
85 |
separation of New Zealand from Antarctica |
" |
|
50 |
opening of the north Atlantic |
Breakup of Laurasia |
|
Western Cordillera |
||
|
Late Proterozoic - early Paleozoic |
passive margin |
|
|
Devonian |
Antler orogeny |
terrane accreted |
|
Jurassic-Cretaceous |
Sierra Nevada, etc. |
voluminous volcanic arc activity |
|
rapid subduction |
||
|
Late Cretaceous |
Sevier orogeny |
shallow subduction |
|
Latest K -> Eocene |
Larmide orogeny |
flat subduction |
|
29 |
beginning of ridge subduction |
|
|
20 - Rec |
Cordilleran extension |
Basin and Range forms |
|
San Andreas Fault zone |
||
|
Cenozoic Climate |
|
|
Early Cenozoic |
continuation of Cretaceous greenhouse warmth |
|
Eocene-Oligocene |
global climate cools because seafloor spreading has decreased and Antarctica becomes isolated at the south pole - Antarctic glaciation begins |
|
Pliocene |
The Isthmus of Panama forms; northern hemisphere glaciation begins |
|
Pliocene-Pleistocene |
glacial cycles are controlled by variations in Earth's orbit |
environmental considerations
rapid seafloor spreading = high sea level = epicontinental seas = shallow marine limestones on continents
rapid seafloor spreading = increased outgassing = increased atmospheric CO2 = warmer climate
(also consider the converse)