Geologic Timeline of Western North America

A timeline of significant geological events in the evolution of western North America. Dates are approximate. ("Ma" = millions of years ago)

Date Period/Epoch Event
350 Ma Devonian An unnamed terrane collides and accretes to the North American Plate, along a line roughly coinciding with the Nevada–Utah border and called the Carlin Unconformity.
250 Ma Permian The Sonomia Terrane collides and accretes to the North American Plate, along a line called the Golconda Thrust (also the name of the event) which runs through central Nevada.
200 Ma Triassic Sierra Nevada batholith first develops.
180 Ma Jurassic The Intermontane Plate collides with the Pacific Northwest, the remnants of which form the Intermontane Belt today.
165 Ma Jurassic The Smartville Block, an island arc terrane, collides and accretes to the North American Plate, along a line which coincides with the Mother Lode country of California.
140 Ma Jurassic Second wave of plutons added to Sierra batholith.
115 Ma Cretaceous The Insular Plate collides with the Pacific Northwest. The remnants of that terrane comprise the Insular Belt today, of which Vancouver Island is a part.
90 Ma Cretaceous Third and last wave of plutons added to Sierra batholith.
43 Ma Eocene The Pacific Plate changes its direction of motion from north to northwest.
35 Ma Eocene Rio Grande Rift begins to form.
20 Ma Miocene San Andreas Fault comes into being as the North American Plate begins splitting the Farallon Plate in two.
17 Ma - 14 Ma Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group Forms.
8 Ma Miocene Onset of faulting creating the Basin and Range geologic province.
5 Ma Miocene - Pliocene Northward propagation of the East Pacific Rise into the North American Plate initiates rifting off of the Baja California peninsula.
4 Ma Pliocene Sierra Nevada begins to rise.
3.5 Ma Pliocene The Pacific Plate changes its direction of motion about 11 degrees east of its previous heading, from northwest to the present northwest by north.

Famous quotes containing the words north america, western, north and/or america:

    “The Anglo-Saxon hive have extirpated Paganism from the greater part of the North American continent; but with it they have likewise extirpated the greater portion of the Red race. Civilization is gradually sweeping from the earth the lingering vestiges of Paganism, and at the same time the shrinking forms of its unhappy worshippers.”
    —Herman Melville (1819–1891)

    “The Oriental philosophy approaches easily loftier themes than the modern aspires to; and no wonder if it sometimes prattle about them. It only assigns their due rank respectively to Action and Contemplation, or rather does full justice to the latter. Western philosophers have not conceived of the significance of Contemplation in their sense.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “I’m trusting in the Lord and a good lawyer.”
    —Oliver North (b. 1943)

    “Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American.”
    —Malcolm X (1925–1965)