Laur·a·sia (lô-r  zh , -sh)n. The protocontinent of the Northern Hemisphere, a hypothetical landmass that according to the theory of plate tectonics broke up into North America, Europe, and Asia. [New Latin Laur(entia), geologic precursor of North America (after the Saint Lawrence River) + (Eur)asia.] |
Laurasia [lɔːˈreɪʃə]
n
(Placename) 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
[from New Latin Laur(entia) (referring to the ancient N American landmass, from Laurentian strata of the Canadian Shield) + (Eur)asia]
| Laurasia (lô-rzh) 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. Compare Gondwanaland. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | Laurasia - a hypothetical continent that (according to plate tectonic theory) broke up later into North America and Europe and Asia northern hemisphere - the hemisphere that is to the north of the equator |
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