Formation of Europe PDF

The formation of Europe. The oldest rocks in Europe are in the Caledonides. These are 3 billion year old granites found in Norway, Scotland and Ireland. (North west Europe) The parts of the crust that now make up Europe were once scattered across the southern Hemisphere. The main period o...

The formation of Europe. The oldest rocks in Europe are in the Caledonides. These are 3 billion year old granites found in Norway, Scotland and Ireland. (North west Europe) The parts of the crust that now make up Europe were once scattered across the southern Hemisphere. The main period of orogeny (mountain building) happened 330 million years (My) ago. Tectonic movement caused the collision of these fragments and created the fold mountains of the Urals and Caledonides. 300 My ago Europe was on the Equator. It was part of a larger continent called Pangea (Earth together) It had a warm, wet climate and was covered in tropical forests. These forests produced the coal that is now found in Europe. 213 My ago Europe became enclosed by other crustal fragments. The climate dried out and the continent was covered by sand dunes. These sand dunes formed the layers of sandstone found here. Coastal areas became flooded, followed by evaporation and further flooding; layers of salt were deposited in Poland, Austria and the Netherlands. 200 My ago the Jurrasic period started. Tropical seas and coral reefs covered Europe up to a depth of 300 metres. Pangea split and new oceans and coastlines appeared. Europe was still tropical and the seas remained for 70 million years. Corals, sea shells and muds were deposited to form limestone.  170 My ago, Europe separated from North America and the Atlantic Ocean was created. 100 My ago the climate warmed and ice caps melted. Sea levels rose. 70 My ago dinosaurs became extinct. Mammals were able to replace them as the dominant species over the next 20 My. 60 My ago Europe split from Greenland. North Atlantic Ocean was created. Africa continued to move northwards towards Europe. This lifted the ocean floor in southern Europe to create the limestone mountains of the Alps. 6 My ago the global sea level fell and Africa blocked the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. The Mediterranean started to dry out and became a giant salt lake. 5,5 My ago the Atlantic dam broke and the Mediterranean basin filled up again. 2 My ago, Europe started to be affected by the first of many Ice Ages. Mountain ranges were carved and shaped by ice sheets and glaciers. Wind blown deposits of fertile glacial dust called loess were laid down across much of Europe, especially in the east.