General Geology
Eurasian plate and its associated micro plates span the globe from 8 degrees south to nearly the North Pole and from 35 degrees west to nearly 150 degrees east. Because this plate is so large and has many different kinds of boundaries with different plates we observe a large number of different geologic features.
On the above image we can observe that on the surface of the Eurasian plate can be described by six different geologic provinces; shields, platforms, orogens, sedimentary basins, igneous provinces and extended crust.
Shields on Eurasian plate:
There are 10 main cratons and shields on the Eurasian plate. Some of the oldest zircons were found in Achaean craton in central Anatolia. (Paquette , 2012) These zircons were found on the surface after the ignimbrite eruptions and were dated to 3.8 billion years. (Paquette , 2012)
Another notable shield on the Eurasian plate is the Fennoscandian shield. Located in the north east of the Eurasian plate, it has formed in the Archean and Palaeoproterozoic. (Korsakova, 2012) This shield is not only very old; it is also the source to 40 metallogenic areas. (Korsakova, 2012) This iron and copper rich region is also thought to have large gold reserves. (Korsakova, 2012)
Igneous provinces:
There are important large igneous provinces on the Eurasian tectonic plate. They include the Deccan traps and Rajmahal traps in India, High Arctic large igneous provinces, the north Atlantic large igneous provinces and the Siberian traps.
The Siberian traps are associated to a large mantle plume that erupted and caused large amounts of volcanic materials to flow on the surface of the continent. (Elkins-Tanton , 2012)( Ivanov ,2013) This even occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary, 250 million years ago. (Foulger, 2010). During this 1 million year-long event it was calculated that over one million cube kilometers of material erupted on the surface. (Elkins-Tanton , 2012) Large amounts of sulphur, chlorine, fluorine and carbon dioxide were released in the atmosphere. It was argued that this event caused one of the biggest mass extinction during Earth’s history where over 90% of marine species and 70% terrestrial species were lost. (Kravchinsky, 2012)
Orogenies:
There are currently 17 orogenies documented on the Eurasian plate. The largest one; the Alpine-Himalayan was caused by the closure of the Tethys sea as the Indian plate drifted towards the Eurasian plate.
Another noteworthy mountain chain was caused by the Uralian orogeny. Now used to demarcate the boundary between Europe and Asia the Ural Mountains formed in the later stage of the formation of Pangea. This mountain belts spans 2500 km from the Aral Sea to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. (Zavacky, 2002)
The largest orogenic event in Europe caused Alpine mountain belt. During the late Mesozoic the combined effect of the Indian plate and the African plate drifting northward and colliding with the Eurasian plate resulted in the erection of many mountain ranges that can be combined in the Alpine mountains. (Giovanni, 2002)
Shields on Eurasian plate:
There are 10 main cratons and shields on the Eurasian plate. Some of the oldest zircons were found in Achaean craton in central Anatolia. (Paquette , 2012) These zircons were found on the surface after the ignimbrite eruptions and were dated to 3.8 billion years. (Paquette , 2012)
Another notable shield on the Eurasian plate is the Fennoscandian shield. Located in the north east of the Eurasian plate, it has formed in the Archean and Palaeoproterozoic. (Korsakova, 2012) This shield is not only very old; it is also the source to 40 metallogenic areas. (Korsakova, 2012) This iron and copper rich region is also thought to have large gold reserves. (Korsakova, 2012)
Igneous provinces:
There are important large igneous provinces on the Eurasian tectonic plate. They include the Deccan traps and Rajmahal traps in India, High Arctic large igneous provinces, the north Atlantic large igneous provinces and the Siberian traps.
The Siberian traps are associated to a large mantle plume that erupted and caused large amounts of volcanic materials to flow on the surface of the continent. (Elkins-Tanton , 2012)( Ivanov ,2013) This even occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary, 250 million years ago. (Foulger, 2010). During this 1 million year-long event it was calculated that over one million cube kilometers of material erupted on the surface. (Elkins-Tanton , 2012) Large amounts of sulphur, chlorine, fluorine and carbon dioxide were released in the atmosphere. It was argued that this event caused one of the biggest mass extinction during Earth’s history where over 90% of marine species and 70% terrestrial species were lost. (Kravchinsky, 2012)
Orogenies:
There are currently 17 orogenies documented on the Eurasian plate. The largest one; the Alpine-Himalayan was caused by the closure of the Tethys sea as the Indian plate drifted towards the Eurasian plate.
Another noteworthy mountain chain was caused by the Uralian orogeny. Now used to demarcate the boundary between Europe and Asia the Ural Mountains formed in the later stage of the formation of Pangea. This mountain belts spans 2500 km from the Aral Sea to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. (Zavacky, 2002)
The largest orogenic event in Europe caused Alpine mountain belt. During the late Mesozoic the combined effect of the Indian plate and the African plate drifting northward and colliding with the Eurasian plate resulted in the erection of many mountain ranges that can be combined in the Alpine mountains. (Giovanni, 2002)
Alpine orogeny mountain chains
Bibliography:
Paquette, J. -L, and J. -L Le Pennec. "3.8 Ga Zircons Sampled by Neogene Ignimbrite Eruptions in Central Anatolia." Geology 40.3 (2012): 239-42. SCOPUS. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
Korsakova, M., et al. Metallogenic Areas in Russian Part of the Fennoscandian Shield. Vol. 2012., 2012. SCOPUS. 30 Jan. 2014 <www.scopus.com>.
Linda Elkins-Tanton , et al. Could Siberian volcanism have caused the Earth's largest extinction event? 9-Jan-2012. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ci-csv010912.php . 30 jan 2014
Gillian R. Foulger, et al. Plates vs Plumes: A Geological Controversy. September 2010, http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405161485.html. 30 jan 2014. Ivanov, A. V., et al. "Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province: Evidence for Two Flood Basalt Pulses Around the Permo-Triassic Boundary and in the Middle Triassic, and Contemporaneous Granitic Magmatism." Earth-Science Reviews 122 (2013): 58-76. SCOPUS. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. Vadim A. Kravchinsky, Paleozoic large igneous provinces of Northern Eurasia: Correlation with mass extinction events, Global and Planetary Change, Volumes 86–87, April 2012, Pages 31-36. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818112000082), 30 jan 2014
A. M. Celâl Şengör, The Cimmeride Orogenic System and the Tectonics of Eurasia. http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/195/1.abstract. 30 jan 2014
Author: J. Zavacky. The Urals.
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geo527/Urals/geography.html. 30 jan 2013
Author: K. Giovanni. Alps tectonics.
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geo527/Alps/tectonics.html. 30jan 2013
Paquette, J. -L, and J. -L Le Pennec. "3.8 Ga Zircons Sampled by Neogene Ignimbrite Eruptions in Central Anatolia." Geology 40.3 (2012): 239-42. SCOPUS. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
Korsakova, M., et al. Metallogenic Areas in Russian Part of the Fennoscandian Shield. Vol. 2012., 2012. SCOPUS. 30 Jan. 2014 <www.scopus.com>.
Linda Elkins-Tanton , et al. Could Siberian volcanism have caused the Earth's largest extinction event? 9-Jan-2012. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ci-csv010912.php . 30 jan 2014
Gillian R. Foulger, et al. Plates vs Plumes: A Geological Controversy. September 2010, http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405161485.html. 30 jan 2014. Ivanov, A. V., et al. "Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province: Evidence for Two Flood Basalt Pulses Around the Permo-Triassic Boundary and in the Middle Triassic, and Contemporaneous Granitic Magmatism." Earth-Science Reviews 122 (2013): 58-76. SCOPUS. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. Vadim A. Kravchinsky, Paleozoic large igneous provinces of Northern Eurasia: Correlation with mass extinction events, Global and Planetary Change, Volumes 86–87, April 2012, Pages 31-36. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818112000082), 30 jan 2014
A. M. Celâl Şengör, The Cimmeride Orogenic System and the Tectonics of Eurasia. http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/195/1.abstract. 30 jan 2014
Author: J. Zavacky. The Urals.
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geo527/Urals/geography.html. 30 jan 2013
Author: K. Giovanni. Alps tectonics.
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geo527/Alps/tectonics.html. 30jan 2013
Vlad R.