Acadian orogeny

Acadian orogeny
Mountain-building event that affected the northern portion of the Appalachian Geosyncline from present-day New York to Newfoundland during the Devonian period.

The orogeny was most intense in northern New England. Its origin has been ascribed to the collision of the northeastern portion of the North American Plate with western Europe. Evidence for the orogeny includes deformation of pre-Devonian and Devonian rocks.

* * *

      a mountain-building event that affected an area from present-day New York to Newfoundland during the Devonian Period (416 to 359.2 million years ago). Originally a depositional fore-arc basin formed from what was formerly known as the Appalachian Geosyncline; subsequent compressional orogenic activity caused the deposits to be folded as a mountain chain. This activity began during the Early Devonian in Gaspé, spread westward throughout Devonian time, and affected the western margins of the geosyncline in Late Devonian time. The orogeny was most intense in the Merrimac area in southern New England and in Maine and extended northward to the Central Volcanic Belt of Newfoundland. Evidence for the Acadian orogeny consists of abundant angular unconformities (nonparallel strata) and igneous intrusions, regional metamorphism, and deformation of pre-Devonian and Devonian rocks. Additionally, the westward spread of clastic sedimentary wedges and red beds probably resulted from Acadian uplift in the interior portions of the fore-arc basin. The Catskill Delta in New York and eastern Pennsylvania represents the westernmost of these clastic wedges.

      The cause of the Acadian orogeny has been ascribed to the collision of the Avalonia Terrane with the North American Plate produced by an eastward subduction of the proto-Atlantic.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Acadian orogeny — The Acadian orogeny is a middle Paleozoic deformation, especially in the northern Appalachians, between New York and Newfoundland. In Gaspé and adjacent areas, its climax is dated as early in the Late Devonian, but deformational, plutonic, and… …   Wikipedia

  • orogeny — orogenic /awr euh jen ik, or euh /, orogenetic, adj. /aw roj euh nee, oh roj /, n. Geol. the process of mountain making or upheaval. Also called orogenesis /awr euh jen euh sis, or euh /. [1885 90; ORO 1 + GENY] * * * I Mountain building event,… …   Universalium

  • Acadian (disambiguation) — Acadians are natives of Acadia, a region of northeastern North America (see also Cajuns).Acadian may also mean: *Acadian French, a French dialect *Acadian World Congress *List of Acadians *Acadian Peninsula *Acadian (automobile), a make of… …   Wikipedia

  • Orogeny — Geologic provinces of the world (USGS)   Shield …   Wikipedia

  • Taconic Orogeny — Mountain building event that affected the Appalachian Geosyncline along the eastern coast of the U.S. Evidence for the orogeny is most pronounced in the northern Appalachian Mountains, but its effects can be noted as far away as Tennessee and… …   Universalium

  • Taconic orogeny — The Taconic orogeny was a great mountain building period that perhaps had the greatest overall effect on the geologic structure of basement rocks within the New York Bight region. The effects of this orogeny are most apparent throughout New… …   Wikipedia

  • Caledonian orogeny — The Caledonian orogeny is a mountain building event recorded in the mountains and hills of northern Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, and west Norway. This event occurred during the Late Silurian to Middle Devonian Periods of the Palaeozoic Era …   Wikipedia

  • Antler orogeny — The Antler orogeny is a mountain building episode that is named for Antler Peak, at Battle Mountain, Nevada. The orogeny extensively deformed Paleozoic rocks of the Great Basin in Nevada and western Utah during Late Devonian and Early… …   Wikipedia

  • Variscan orogeny — The Variscan (or Hercynian) orogeny is a geologic mountain building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Laurasia and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangea.NamingThe name, Variscan , comes from the Medieval Latin… …   Wikipedia

  • Geology of the North Sea — Contents 1 Tectonic structure 2 Precambrian 3 Finnmarkian, Athollian, Caledonian Orogenies …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”