Europe Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Geology=== {{Main|Geology of Europe|Geological history of Europe}} [[File:Europe geological map-en.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|right|Surficial geology of Europe]] The geological history of Europe traces back to the formation of the [[Baltic Shield]] (Fennoscandia) and the [[Sarmatian craton]], both around 2.25 billion years ago, followed by the [[Volgo–Uralia]] shield, the three together leading to the [[East European craton]] (≈ [[Baltica]]) which became a part of the [[supercontinent]] [[Columbia (supercontinent)|Columbia]]. Around 1.1 billion years ago, Baltica and Arctica (as part of the [[Laurentia]] block) became joined to [[Rodinia]], later resplitting around 550 million years ago to reform as Baltica. Around 440 million years ago [[Euramerica]] was formed from Baltica and Laurentia; a further joining with [[Gondwana]] then leading to the formation of [[Pangea]]. Around 190 million years ago, Gondwana and [[Laurasia]] split apart due to the widening of the Atlantic Ocean. Finally and very soon afterwards, Laurasia itself split up again, into Laurentia (North America) and the Eurasian continent. The land connection between the two persisted for a considerable time, via [[Greenland]], leading to interchange of animal species. From around 50 million years ago, rising and falling sea levels have determined the actual shape of Europe and its connections with continents such as Asia. Europe's present shape dates to the [[late Tertiary]] period about five million years ago.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9106055 |title=Europe |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |year=2007 |access-date=10 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204015044/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9106055 |archive-date=4 December 2007 }}</ref> The geology of Europe is hugely varied and complex and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent, from the [[Scottish Highlands]] to the rolling [[plain]]s of Hungary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/eurogy.jpg|title=Geology map of Europe|year=1967|publisher=University of Southampton|access-date=9 June 2008|archive-date=11 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811131707/http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/eurogy.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> Europe's most significant feature is the dichotomy between highland and mountainous [[Southern Europe]] and a vast, partially underwater, northern plain ranging from Ireland in the west to the [[Ural Mountains]] in the east. These two halves are separated by the mountain chains of the [[Pyrenees]] and [[Alps]]/[[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]]. The northern plains are delimited in the west by the [[Scandinavian Mountains]] and the mountainous parts of the British Isles. Major shallow water bodies submerging parts of the northern plains are the [[Celtic Sea]], the [[North Sea]], the [[Baltic Sea]] complex and [[Barents Sea]]. The northern plain contains the old geological continent of [[Baltica]] and so may be regarded geologically as the "main continent", while peripheral highlands and mountainous regions in the south and west constitute fragments from various other geological continents. Most of the older geology of western Europe existed as part of the ancient [[microcontinent]] [[Avalonia]]. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page