Geology of the Silurian & Devonian 444 - 359 Mya | GEO GIRL

Continental landmasses, Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia, collided to form Euramerica, leading to a major mountain building event, the Acadian orogeny which contributed to building the Appalachians and the Caledonide mountains.
The western margin of Laurentia/Euramerica was passive until the late Devonian when the Antler orogeny began, marking the beginning of subduction along the Cordilleran mobile belt that has continued to today.
Climate became much warmer after the Ordovician glaciation, which allowed reefs to make a come back during middle paleozoic. These reefs deposited on the passive margins of Laurentia in between mountain building events. However, another ice age and mass extinction came at the end of the Devonian period, which once again devastated the reefs.
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0:00 Mid Paleozoic Geology Summary
1:29 Paleogeography
2:51 Acadian Orogeny
5:28 Appalachian & Caledonian Mountains
6:03 Antler Orogeny
8:04 Warming, Drying, & Reefs
11:44 Paleozoic Deposition Pattern
13:09 Ice Age & Extinction
14:43 Related videos & references
Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, but there is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week! And as always, let me know your topic suggestions in the comments down below!

[@tedetienne7639]

I’ll be going on vacation next week to the Cumberland mountains of Virginia. This is an excellent reminder for me to appreciate how the Appalachian orogeny made all that beautiful land! Thanks!

[@GEOGIRL]

Oh sounds like so much fun! Have a great time :D

[@SiX1SE7EN]

How do you not have hundreds of thousands of subscribers?? You’re a wealth of knowledge. Extremely intelligent! Keep up the great work! 💕

[@GEOGIRL]

Thank you so so much, I really appreciate your kind words!

[@samuelrowsell2343]

@@GEOGIRLI agree you deserve way more views then you get I feel incredibly lucky to have come across your channel you already have so much uploaded I’ve just been trying to catch up

[@user-lh4eh9wc9z]

Your videos have helped me so much with understanding a lot of the topics in my Historical Geo class! My professor is very hard to understand and I appreciate your ability to make these topics more understandable! Thank you for all of your hard work and help along my journey:)

[@GEOGIRL]

So glad to hear that my videos have helped you with your class! Trust me, I've had my fair share of experiences with professors or topics that are difficult to understand in class. I have always turned to youtube when in those situations, so it is really cool to know that I can now be that youtube reference for you! Thank you for the kind words

[@georgefspicka5483]

Fortunately, my instructor was articulate, when I was taking honors geology courses in the 80s. But our Geo Girl is fantastic. I already know a fairly good amount, but every time I watch one of her videos, I learn even more.

[@MrSiwat]

Loving your channel. So detailed and well researched. Thanks so much.)

[@GEOGIRL]

Thanks so much! ;D

[@mariodegroote6756]

an ongoing proces life, never ends , always amazes, so many small and big wonders to uncover. the more i see the past the more i learn about today, and where we are possibily heading. i always have hope, dare to dream, dare to live, but recent times scares my pants of... anyways, great upload as always and to the point, respect for your work geo girl! greetings from a belgian waffle:D

[@Hellbender8574]

I didn't know that my favorite mountains in Eastern North America formed in several stages. I like these videos a lot.

[@GEOGIRL]

Thank you! So glad to hear that :D

[@georgefspicka5483]

When I began to study, I didn't know about that either. Now I'm at the point where I'm learning how plate tectonics formed a huge orogeny (mountain building episode) when various plates (continents) collided to form Pangea. I think they ran from what now are the Appalachians in the US, through eastern Greenland, the Scottish Highlands, Norway's Caledonian Mountains, and the west coast of North Africa. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Pangean_Mountains

[@hawaiianbudd]

"Do you want to know more about the major geologic events that were going on around 400 millions years ago during the Middle paleozoic era......?" I do now!

[@GEOGIRL]

YES!

[@Lilas.Duveteux]

From the land placement there, and the fact the Canadian shield at that time would probably be much higher than today, we can assume that the ITCZ would have been almost smack dab on the equator in Northern Hemisphere Summer, but more poleward (south pole) for Northern Hemisphere Winter, which would probably have led to some interesting seasonality.

[@christopher3d475]

It's amazing to me that geologist can reconstruct continents and geological formations from such long ago times.

[@GEOGIRL]

I know right! :D It's like time traveling!

[@a.randomjack6661]

I will have to add "continental smooching" to my geological lexicon. 😁 Did you read Douglas Adams books? Most astrophysicists I know did, I just don't know many geologists. Anyhoo, I fell in love with his "Infinite Improbability Drive"idea and they are really fun to read. Thank you Geo Girl. Have a nice day, even if you read this on Monday ✌

[@UsmanAli-yz5zc]

Amazing...🥰 Nicely describe orogeny of that era.

[@kaileaugust4980]

I really enjoyed that

[@GEOGIRL]

Thank you! So glad you liked it ;D

[@princeshukla7661]

love from INDIA

[@samuelrowsell2343]

@@sabkabro2322sad you think he’s bring down his country by showing appreciation

[@NelsonDiscovery]

10:15 I love how this little ammonite is eyeing that trilobite (some related creature I'm sure). "I would love to eat that, but I'll have to wait till I grow up"

[@NelsonDiscovery]

Gonna watch Devonian mass extinctin tomorrow. I hope you go into detail about the variety of early plant life.

[@antediluvial]

Thanks

[@shadeen3604]

Great thanks

[@captaincodpiece3263]

Laurentia, Gondwana, Avalonia…where do these names come from?

[@princeshukla7661]

looking so beautiful

[@billkallas1762]

Thank you. It's been 50 years since I sat in an undergraduate Geology class. I've forgotten so much in that time. At least now, I can go back and watch this a few times. Back then, you had to listen, take notes, and hope some of it is covered in your textbook. They only thing that I can positively remember is the trick to remember the Epochs of the Cenozoic....Which was PEOMP. Do people still use this to remember them?.....Everything else is fuzzy except this trick and Avogadro's number. If I ever forget Avogadro's number, I'll be ready for the old folk's home.

[@Anuchan]

I noticed you didn't mention Laurasia, but it sounds the same Euramerica.

[@GEOGIRL]

Yep, they are pretty much used interchangeably based on what I've seen, so I think you are right :)

[@cremasca]

❤️👍❤️

[@Texan190]

Great video. I'm a fellow geologist working in DFW.

[@GEOGIRL]

That's awesome! I am also in Texas! ;D

[@Texan190]

@@GEOGIRL You're at UTEP, right? I love west Texas.

[@GEOGIRL]

@@Texan190 Yep! I do too, but I am leaving soon :( Although I am excited to explore outside of Texas, I will miss it !

[@Texan190]

@@GEOGIRL On to the next phase of life. Where are you headed?

[@KoalaMeatPie]

Well structured video as always! Question - I have often read "most of all minerals today only exist because of ancient life" could you please go into detail? Surely mantel upwelling makes up an important part?

[@GEOGIRL]

Hmm that's interesting, I am curious where you read that haha. I would say 'some' not 'most' exist because of ancient life, for example: some carbonate minerals like chalk deposits are due to the build up of coccolithophores (microalgae with carbonate shells), and some amorphous silica phases are also biogenic. But most of the minerals today existed before life even evolved on Earth... I hope that answers your question haha, if you still remember where you read that, please send me the link, I would love to see it in context :) Thanks!

[@KoalaMeatPie]

@@GEOGIRL I can not find the article and book I read it in, but I did find where it comes from, I can not link through youtube, however "Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Robert Hazen outlined his findings showing that two-thirds of minerals on Earth could have arisen from life itself." - now I see "Could" and tracing the papers they seem to be all between 2006 and 2009 and I don't have access to 2/3s of them. Just because they can, does not mean they are, although I am sure he wrote about biological processes that do

[@Vipulrawat283]

😃👌

[@oker59]

Hello Geo-Girl - I tried to join when I noticed there was a video that I can only view if I'm a member. For awhile, I thought the member perks were just getting some emoji's. But last week I tried clicking on one of the suggested videos at the end, and as it turned out, I could only view if I was a member. I tried; but, I needed to change my card number, and the youtube didn't allow me to change my credit card number! I could enter my name and other details, but the credit card number was frozen. So, I can't join - sorry!

[@oker59]

I've posted links to some recent science about a million years of rain that led to the Dinosaurs. Looks like I already had linked a Nature article; but, I linked another, and pointed out another article about the Decan traps phenomenon. The type of major lava eruption that led to the millions of years of rain. I posted at your twitter for lack of a better place to post!

[@GEOGIRL]

Don't worry!! It's okay, I should've made this clear, but that video will come out next week for everyone, not just members, so you'll be able to see it then :) The members get early content, but don't worry if you can't join because you'll still get those videos eventually!

[@nickfosterxx]

David Attenborough did life on earth. Now it's someone's turn to do Rocks of Earth. Pretty please. People have no idea how interesting this is. Life, minerals, oil or coal, how the rocks and landscape formed where they live. And ultimately how that still shapes lives today.

[@CRICATION]

Hello Geogirl, What are you doing Now?

[@GEOGIRL]

Like for work? I am a PhD student and I work as a research assistant. :)

[@georgefspicka5483]

Do I wanna know more????? Why do you think I'm here :D

[@LuisAldamiz]

Caledonian also affected, erm... Caledonia, now known as Scotland. Just saying.

[@GEOGIRL]

Yes! Thank you for adding that! 😃

[@princeshukla7661]

hello geo girl how are you

[@wolframreactor74]

Taconic Ordovician Acadian Devonian

[@leilarashid2413]

🪨 🪨🪨🪨

[@GEOGIRL]

[@scambammer6102]

I call it Slurian.

[@nickfosterxx]

Can anyone Please recommend a mnemonic to remember all these periods and dates. I'm 63 and it's driving me crazy. (disclaimer-type voice: 'would also be handy if it included origins of eukaryotes, chloroplasts, ferns, gymnosperms, reptiles, dinosaurs, angiosperms, mammals, primates, etc.) [Edit: oh no, and then there's the tectonics of course. Drat, keep forgetting] Sigh. I suppose I'll just have to. Study. Damn. Thanks... Wait. 'Perhaps I should just watch every GeoGirl episode at least twice. And maybe even take notes.' 'Yeah? That's not gonna work mate. Hundreds of videos. Seriously, get with the book(s)'. 'But. That's an awful lot of books dude. And jargon. You think?' 'I know - but she's read them all. So watch the dang videos, they're pretty good. And maybe, given you prefer the visual medium, even better than books?!' 'OK. Starting right now. ... But still. Maybe she should, like, write one.' 'Sighs'.