Laurasia[1][2] was a supercontinent. It had been the northern part of the Pangaea global supercontinent. Pangaea split into Laurasia and Gondwana to the south during the Jurassic period.
Although Laurasia is known as a Mesozoic phenomenon, today it is believed that the same continents that formed Laurasia also existed as a coherent continent after the breakup of Rodinia around 1 billion years ago. To avoid confusion with Laurasia, that continent is referred to as Proto-Laurasia.