Meaning & use
Laurasia
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Meaning
proper nounproperspecialist
The huge northern landmass that existed after the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart, containing what are now North America, Europe, and most of Asia.
Grammar: A proper name, so it is capitalized and used without an article: Laurasia drifted apart.
Patterns
- the breakup of Laurasia
Fossils of similar mammals appear in Europe and North America because both were once part of Laurasia.
Laurasia and Gondwana formed when Pangaea split about 200 million years ago.
Geologists study mountain ranges to learn how Laurasia slowly broke apart.
Common combinations
- Laurasia and Gondwana
- The two great landmasses, Laurasia and Gondwana, drifted in different directions.
- the breakup of Laurasia
- The breakup of Laurasia opened the North Atlantic.
- part of Laurasia
- Greenland was once part of Laurasia.
- split from Pangaea
- Laurasia split from Pangaea during the Jurassic.
- Laurasian fossils
- Laurasian fossils show how animals spread across the north.
Synonyms and how they differ
Opposites
Word family
- Laurasian adjective
- relating to Laurasia, as in Laurasian mammals
- Laurentia proper noun
- the ancient core of North America, one of the roots of the name
- Eurasia proper noun
- the land of Europe and Asia, the other root of the name
- Pangaea proper noun
- the single supercontinent that split to form Laurasia and Gondwana
Commonly confused: Laurasia or Gondwana? Laurasia or Pangaea?
Laurasia vs Gondwana
Gondwana was the southern half that came from the same split, including Africa, South America, Antarctica, India, and Australia, whereas Laurasia was the northern half.
Laurasia vs Pangaea
Pangaea was the whole single supercontinent, while Laurasia was only the northern part after the breakup.
Practice
Which continent was NOT part of Laurasia?
Choose one answer.
Antarctica belonged to the southern landmass Gondwana, not to northern Laurasia. Europe, North America, and most of Asia were all part of Laurasia.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Laurasia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.