Land masses formed vast supercontinents during the Silurian period, although North America was relatively in the same position.
The third period of the Paleozoic period is known as the Silurian period. Occurring 440 million years ago, this marked a time when the earth was still in its earliest stages of development. The period is broken into two segments, the early and late Silurian periods, and is believed to have followed a mass extinction during the Ordovician period. An examination of the geology of the Silurian period allows a better understanding of the structure of the earth at the time.
Basics
Dry land during the Silurian period looked much like the deserts of today. Salty deposits called evaporite formed due to arid conditions near the equator. It was also a time of great volcanic activity. Land was not green or lush, as it did not support much life. Dinosaurs, mammals, amphibians and birds were not present during this time. However, the Silurian period marked the time when life began moving from the oceans to dry land. The closure of ocean basins allowed for the diversification of land masses to support the emergence of terrestrial plants that later changed the atmosphere to form the ozone layer.
Land Masses
Continental land masses during the Silurian period looked nothing like they do today. Plate tectonics shifted and moved the continents, causing them to develop into large masses of land called supercontinents. The supercontinent Gondwana was the largest land mass, located around the South Pole. Other continents included Laurentia, Siberia and Baltica, which were clustered around the equator. At the end of the Silurian period, Laurentia and Baltica collided to form a new supercontinent called Euramerica. "In the North Atlantic area the Silurian marked the closure of the great 'Iapetus' Ocean that separated present day North America from Northern Europe," according to Silurian.com.
Oceans
One side of the globe was entirely covered by ocean during the Silurian period, as well as much of the North Pole. Shallow seas covered parts of other continents. Warming climates contributed to the melting of large glacial ice sheets that caused sea levels to rise across the globe. However, glaciers still remained at higher altitudes. Oceans covered New York and Nevada, and Wales was covered by a narrow ocean basin.
Mountains
As plate tectonics shifted and ocean basins closed during the Silurian period, it allowed the formation of new mountain ranges. Sediment deposits in England also created new mountain ranges. Toward the end of the Silurian period, two massive mountain ranges formed along the edges of the continental margins.
Tags: Silurian period, during Silurian, during Silurian period, mountain ranges, marked time, marked time when
