Grenville orogeny: metamorphism of
bedrock now exposed in the Adirondacks
and Hudson Highlands
Advance and retreat of last continental ice
Sands and clays underlying Long Island and
Staten Island deposited on margin of Atlantic
Ocean
Dome-like uplift of Adirondack region begins
Intrusion of Palisades sill
Initial opening of Atlantic Ocean
North America and Africa separate
Pangaea begins to break up
Catskill delta forms
Erosion of Acadian Mountains
Acadian orogeny caused by collision of
North America and Avalon and closing
of remaining part of Iapetus Ocean
Salt and gypsum deposited in evaporite basins
Erosion of Taconic Mountains; Queenston delta
forms
Taconian orogeny caused by closing
of western part of Iapetus Ocean and
collision between North America and
volcanic island arc
Widespread deposition over most of New York
along edge of Iapetus Ocean
Rifting and initial opening of Iapetus Ocean
Erosion of Grenville Mountains
OF NEW YORK STATE
Mastodont
Beluga Whale
Cooksonia
Bothriolepis
Maclurites Eospirifer
Mucrospirifer
Aneurophyton
CondorNaples Tree Cystiphyllum
Lichenaria Pleurodictyum
P
O
RQ S T U V W X Y Z
Platyceras
Time Distribution of Fossils
(including important fossils of New York)
Important Geologic
Events in New York
Inferred Positions of
Earth’s Landmasses
ADU (2011)
The center of each lettered circle indicates the approximate time of
existence of a specific index fossil (e.g. Fossil lived at the end
of the Early Cambrian).
PLACODERM FISH
A
Alleghenian orogeny caused by
collision of North America and
Africa along transform margin,
forming Pangaea
119 million years ago
359 million years ago
458 million years ago
232 million years ago
59 million years ago
TRILOBITES
C
B
A
BIRDS
S
E
D
F
NAUTILOIDS
AMMONOIDS
G
CRINOIDS
H
I
J
K
GRAPTOLITES
L
DINOSAURS
MAMMALS
O
N
EURYPTERIDS
M
P
Q
VASCULAR PLANTS
T
U
V
CORALS
R
BRACHIOPODS
GASTROPODS
W
X
Y
Z