Avalonian Orogeny

The Avalonian Orogeny was a mountain-building event during the late Precambrian to early Paleozoic (about 600-400 million years ago), as tectonic plates collided and assembled landmasses. It primarily involved the convergence of smaller continental blocks known as terranes with the ancient North American craton, leading to the formation of mountain ranges along the eastern margins of what is now North America. This orogeny contributed to the assembly of the supercontinent Gondwana and influenced regional geology, creating complex deformed rocks, sedimentary basins, and metamorphic features that are still visible in the Appalachian region today.