Laurasia

[ law-rey-zhuh, -shuh ]

noun

, Geology.

1. a hypothetical landmass in the Northern Hemisphere near the end of the Paleozoic Era: split apart to form North America and Eurasia.

Laurasia

/ lɔːˈreɪʃə /

noun

1. one of the two ancient supercontinents produced by the first split of the even larger supercontinent Pangaea about 200 million years ago, comprising what are now North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia (excluding India) See also Gondwanaland Pangaea

Laurasia

/ lô-rā′zhə /

1. A supercontinent of the Northern Hemisphere made up of the landmasses that currently correspond to North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia (except India). According to the theory of plate tectonics, Laurasia separated from Pangaea at the end of the Paleozoic Era and broke up into the current continents in the middle of the Mesozoic Era.
2. Compare Gondwanaland

Word History and Origins

Origin of Laurasia¹

1930–35; blend of Laurentian ( def 2 ) and Eurasia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Laurasia¹

C20: from New Latin Laur ( entia ) (referring to the ancient N American landmass, from Laurentian strata of the Canadian Shield) + ( Eur ) asia

Example Sentences

It’s the late Jurassic Period in the super continent of Laurasia, some 85 million years into the reign of the dinosaurs.

From Los Angeles Times

When mammals were emerging, Gondwana encompassed Africa, India, Australia and South America and was far larger than Laurasia in the Northern Hemisphere.

From New York Times

A diverse collection of ankylosaurs once roamed in great numbers across Laurasia — the northern supercontinent that once contained North America and Asia.

From New York Times

But the discovery of Messelopython freyi flips that idea on its head — it now looks like pythons originated instead in the supercontinent known as Laurasia, which was composed of North America, Europe and Asia.

From New York Times

The evolutionary outline, in its current form, indicates that eastern Laurasia was the center of origin for various Early Cretaceous animals that then spread outward through the continent.

From Scientific American