List of orogenies

Geologic provinces of the World (USGS)

  Shield

  Platform

  Orogen

  Basin

  Large igneous province

  Extended crust

Oceanic crust:

  0–20 Ma

  20–65 Ma

  >65 Ma

The following is a list of known orogenies organised by continent, starting with the oldest at the top. The organization of this article is along present-day continents that do not necessarily reflect the geography contemporary to the orogenies. Note that some orogenies encompass more than one continent and might have different names in each continent. Like-wise some very large orogenies include a number of sub-orogenies. As with other geological phenomena orogenies are often subject to different and changing interpretations regarding to their age, type and associated paleogeography.

African orogenies

• Pan-African orogeny (550 Ma) (Neoproterozoic)
• Damaran Orogeny
• Kibaran Orogeny
• Eburnean Orogeny
• East African Orogeny
• Mauritanide Orogeny
• Mozambique Orogeny
• Zambezian Orogeny

Antarctic orogenies

Orogenies affecting Antarctica include:

• Napier orogeny (4000 ± 200 Ma)
• Rayner orogeny (~ 3500 Ma)
• Humboldt orogeny (~ 3000 Ma)
• Insel orogeny (2650 ± 150 Ma)
• Early Ruker orogeny (2000–1700 Ma)
• Late Ruker / Nimrod orogeny (1000 ± 150 Ma)
• Beardmore orogeny (633–620 Ma)
• Ross Orogeny (~550 to ~480 Ma)

Asian orogenies

• The Aravalli-Delhi Orogen (precambrian)
• The Altaid Orogeny (Paleozoic)
• The Cimmerian and Cathayasian orogenies
  • Active through Triassic and Jurassic Periods along south and southeast Asia.
• Alpine orogeny, encompassing:
  • The Himalayan orogeny, forming the Himalaya Mountains, as a result of the ongoing collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate.

The Dabie-Sulu Orogen (Mesozoic)

• Uralian orogeny
  • Formation of the Ural Mountains, Eurasia, during the Permian Period.

European orogenies

• The Saamian orogeny
  • Formation of an extensive area of tonalitic-trondhjemitic crust in Fennoscandia, from 3.1 Ga to 2.9 Ga
• The Lopian orogeny
  • Formation of two different types of terrain compatible with plate tectonic concepts. One is a belt of high-grade gneisses formed in a regime of strong mobility, while the other is a region of granitoid intrusions and greenstone belts surrounded by the remnants of a Saamian substratum, from 2.9 Ga to 2.6 Ga.
• The Svecofennian orogeny
  • Formation of the Baltic Shield stricto sensu, which includes southern Norway, nearly whole Sweden, Finland and small part of Russia near the Finnish border, from 2.0 Ga to 1.75 Ga. This orogeny is also known as the Svecokarelian orogeny.
• The Gothian orogeny
  • Formation of tonalitic-granodioritic plutonic rocks and calc-alkaline volcanites (like the Svecofennian orogeny) from 1.75 Ga to 1.5 Ga.
• The Sveconorwegian orogeny
  • Essentially reworking of previously formed crust, from 1.25 Ga to 900 Ma.
• The Timanide orogeny affecting the northern Baltic Shield during the Neoproterozoic Era, from 620 Ma to 550 Ma.
• The Cadomian orogeny on the north coast of Armorica in the Ediacaran/Cambrian from 660 Ma to 540 Ma.
• The Caledonian orogeny
  • Formation of the highlands of western Norway, Britain and Ireland in the Ordovician Grampian phase and the Silurian Scandian phase.
• Uralian orogeny
  • Formation of the Ural Mountains, Eurasia, during the Permian Period.
• The Variscan orogeny (also called the Hercynian orogeny)
  • Formation of the mountains of western Iberia, SW Ireland, SW England, central and western France, southern Germany and Czech Republic during the Devonian and Carboniferous Periods.
• The Alpine orogeny, encompassing:
  • the Formation of the Alps during the Eocene through Miocene Periods.
  • the Carpathian orogeny building the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Europe during the Jurassic-Cretaceous to Miocene Period.
  • the Hellenic orogeny in Greece and the Aegean area during Eocene through Miocene Periods.
• Ongoing (happening now):
  • the Mediterranean Ridge.

North American orogenies

• Algoman orogeny (or Kenoran)
  • Superior province, South Dakota to Lake Huron
  • Late Archean 2700-2500 Ma.
• Wopmay orogeny
  • Along western edge of Canadian shield, 2100–1900 Ma.
• Hudsonian orogeny or Trans-Hudson orogeny
  • Extends from Hudson Bay west into Saskatchewan then south through the western Dakotas and Nebraska. Result of the collision of the Superior craton with the Hearne craton and the Wyoming craton during the Proterozoic.
  • Lasted from 2000–1800 Ma.
• Penokean orogeny
  • Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, U. S. A. and southern Ontario, Canada, 1850-1840 Ma.
• Big Sky orogeny
  • Proterozoic collision between the Hearne craton and the Wyoming craton in southwest Montana, 1770 Ma.
• Ivanpah orogeny
  • Mojave province, south western USA
• Yavapai orogeny
  • mid to south western USA, 1760-1700 Ma.
• Mazatzal orogeny
  • mid to south western USA, circa 1600 Ma.
• Grenville orogeny
  • Worldwide during the late Proterozoic, 1300–1000 Ma. Associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. Formed folded mountains in Eastern North America from Newfoundland to North Carolina, 1100–1000 Ma.

Taconic orogeny

• Caledonian orogeny
  • the East Greenland Orogen, formed from Cryogenian to Devonian
  • the Taconic phase in the NE U.S. and Canada during the Ordovician Period.
  • the Acadian phase in the Eastern U.S. during Silurian and Devonian Periods.
• Appalachian orogeny, usually seen as the same as the Variscan orogeny in Europe.
  • Appalachian Mountains is a well studied orogenic belt resulting from a late Paleozoic collision between North America and Africa.
  • Taconic orogeny
  • Acadian orogeny
  • Alleghenian orogeny
• Ouachita orogeny
  • Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma is an orogenic belt that dates from the late Paleozoic Era and is most likely a continuation of the Appalachian orogeny west across the Mississippi embayment - Reelfoot Rift zone.
• Antler orogeny
  • Ancestral Sierra Nevada western United States.
  • Late Devonian - early Mississippian.
• Innuitian orogeny or Ellesmerian orogeny
  • Innuitian Mountains, Canadian Arctic, extending from Ellesmere Island to Melville Island, Mississippian 345 Ma.
• Sonoma orogeny
  • Rocky Mountains, western North America, 270–240 Ma.
• Nevadan orogeny
  • Developed along western North America during the Jurassic Period.
• Sevier orogeny
  • Rocky Mountains, western North America, 140–50 Ma.
• Laramide orogeny
  • Rocky Mountains, western North America, 40–70 Ma.

Oceania orogenies

Australian orogenies

• Sleaford Orogeny (2440–2420 Ma), Gawler Craton, South Australia
• Glenburgh Orogeny (c. 2005–1920 Ma), Glenburgh Terrane, Western Australia.
• Kimban Orogeny (c. 1845–1700 Ma), Gawler Craton, South Australia
• Yapungku Orogeny (c. 1765 Ma), North Yilgarn craton margin, Western Australia
• Mangaroon Orogeny (c.1680–1620 Ma), Gascoyne Complex, Western Australia.
• Kararan Orogeny (1650– Ma), Gawler Craton, South Australia
• Barramundi Orogeny (c. 1870 - 1800 Ma), MacArthur Basin, northern Australia
• Albany-Fraser Orogeny (c. 1710–1020 Ma), Western Australia
• Isan Orogeny, c. 1600 Ma, Mount Isa Block, Queensland
• Olarian Orogeny, Olary Block, South Australia
• Capricorn Orogeny, Gascoyne Complex, Western Australia
• Musgrave Orogeny (c. 1080 Ma), Musgrave Block, Central Australia.
• Edmundian Orogeny (c. 920–850 Ma), Gascoyne Complex, Western Australia.
• Petermann Orogeny (c. 550–535 Ma late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian), Central Australia
• Delamerian Orogeny,(ca. 514 - 510 Ma) South Australia and Victoria, Australia, Ordovician
• Lachlan Orogeny, c. 540 and 440 Ma., Victoria and New South Wales
• Thomson Orogeny, northern continuation of the Lachlan Orogeny
• Kanimblan Orogeny, (c. 318 Ma.), Carboniferous, Victoria and New South Wales
• Alice Springs Orogeny (450 - 300 MA) in central Australia, Early Carboniferous
• New England Orogeny, early Carboniferous to mid Triassic, Eastern Australia
• Hunter-Bowen Orogeny, (c. 260–225 Ma) Permian to Triassic, Queensland and New South Wales

New Zealand orogenies

• Tuhua Orogeny (370–330 Ma)
• Rangitata Orogeny (142–99 Ma)
• Kaikoura Orogeny (24 Ma–present)

South American orogenies

• Transamazonian orogeny
• Brasiliano-Pan African orogeny
• Sunsás orogeny
• Chonide orogeny
• Pampean orogeny
• Famatinian orogeny
• San Rafael orogeny
• Gondwanide orogeny
• Toco orogeny
  • Chilean Coast Range 300–330 Ma.
• Andean orogeny
  • Andes Mountains, 0–200 Ma.