The formation of the Alps (the Alpine orogeny) was an episodic process that began about 300 million years ago. In the Paleozoic Era the Pangaean supercontinent consisted of a single tectonic plate; it broke into separate plates during the Mesozoic Era and the Tethys sea developed between Laurasia and Gondwana during the Jurassic Period. The Tethys was later squeezed between colliding plates causing the formation of mountain ranges called the Alpide belt, from Gibraltar through the Himalayas to Indonesia—a process that began at the end of the Mesozoic and continues into the present. The formation of the Alps was a segment of this orogenic process, caused by the collision between the African and the Eurasian plates that began in the late Cretaceous Period. COUNT 5
QSN1 When did the formation of the alps began? ANS1 about 300 million years ago QSN2 What did the Pangaean supercontinent consisted of what during the Paleozoic Era? ANS2 a single tectonic plate QSN3 When did the single tectonic plate break into separate plates? ANS3 the Mesozoic Era QSN4 The Tethys sea developed during what period of time?  ANS4 Jurassic Period QSN5 The collision between the African and the Eurasian plates began during what time?  ANS5 the late Cretaceous Period