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Mountains are some of the most beautiful features of our planet, and some of the most awe-inspiring. Mountains have been a part of Earth’s history for hundreds of millions of years, and they have come and gone, rising and falling, with the movement of the continents.
The oldest-known mountain chain can be found right in Canada, on the island of Newfoundland.
The Long Range Mountains date back 1.2 billion years, and today serve as the northeastern section of the Appalachian mountains.
In the Precambrian era, the core of North America slammed into another continent and helped to create the Long Range Mountains. As part of the large Columbia super continent, Newfoundland was colliding with Greenland at the time, with parts of Europe also pushing from the opposite coast of Greenland.
Over time, the super continent began to break apart, and deep fractures began to form. Around 570 million years ago, with the continent completely torn apart, the Iapetus Ocean was created. This ocean was situated in the southern hemisphere. The ocean is kind of a precursor to the Atlantic Ocean, because they shared the same similar continental borders. During this time, the rocks that form the main section of the Long Range Mountains, now located in Gros Morne National Park, were south of the equator on the west side of the ocean.
Today, the mountains run through Newfoundland and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The Tablelands section actually has a section of Earth’s mantle exposed to the surface.
Over the course of the mountains, the tallest is The Cabox, at 2,671 feet. It is the highest peak on Newfoundland.
