laurasia

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Laurasia was the northern half of Pangea;The Northern landmass formed 200 million years ago by the splitting of the single world continent Pangaea. It consisted of what was to become North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia, and is  believed to have broken up about 100 million years ago with the separation of North America from Europe.  In the south was the Gondwanaland landmass.  update 07/24/2006
From the Dinosaur Collector

 

Click on the Links to visit Laurasian Diorama.
Most of  Central Asia assembled during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras and became isolated from the rest of Pangaea in the Jurassic.  It reconnected with North America in the Early Cretaceous.  One of the profound influences on the character of the central Asian dinosaurs was the development of a megamonsoonal weather cycle that resulted from the Pangaea landmass configuration.  The Triassic and Early Jurassic  Central Asia was characterized by lush swamps and lakes and a cosmopolitan fauna similar to that of the rest of Pangaea.  The Middle Jurassic of China is the best known in the world by then the fauna has become differentiated due to isolation.  By the Late Jurassic the megamonsoon has failed because of the break of Pangaea.  The new arid conditions lead to the Mamenchisaurus Fauna.  The Psittacosaurus Fauna is one of the best documented Early Cretaceous find in the world. The Liaoning fauna with it feathered dinosaurs is another. During the the Late Cretaceous the Asian descended dinosaurs dominate North America.
In North America the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of the American Southwest is similar to the that of the rest of Pangaea.  Things changed in Late Jurassic North America is dominated by sauropods.   The Morrison formation presents a picture and arid flood plain with Sauropods , stegosaurs and allosaurs.  The Giant Sauropods Seismosaurus, Ultrasaros and Supersaurus have been found in Western North America.   The related dinosaurs identified in Africa and North America  show that Pangaea has not completely broken up. The Walking with Dinosaur documentary has a a segment featuring the life of a young sauropod in North America.
North America in the Early Cretaceous  dinosaurs resemble those of Asia and Europe Iguanodons, polecanthids and raptors replace the Jurassic sauropod faunas in Laurasia.  A fragment of the Jurassic lingers on in the Acrocanthosaurus Astrodon Zone of North America   The Late Cretaceous land connection with Asia allows continued migration of Asian dinosaurs into the Western North America which is now separated by an inland sea.  The constant marine incursions and regressions isolated dinosaur populations generating the great diversity of dinosaurs known in the Campanian age.  The Judith River formation has preserved a very diverse ecology.  The dinosaurs of this period became well known in the 1950's thanks to artist like Zallinger represent by the retro classic look.  The Hell Creek excavations give us the best window into the final days of the dinosaurs famous for Tyrannosaurs and Triceratops.
Europe has good record for the Early Triassic fauna characterized by phytosaurs and dicynodonts. In the Late Triassic we have prosauropds and early therapods.  While Middle Jurassic became increasingly submerged the fauna for the period is one of the better known.  There is still an exchange of fauna with North America in the Early Cretaceous.    In the Later Cretaceous there are signs of immigrants from Gondwanan Africa to the islands of Europe .
  
 


 

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