Laurasia

in reference to granite strata in eastern Canada, 1854 (Sir W.E. Logan and T. Sterry Hunt), named for the Laurentian Mountains (where it is found), which are named for the nearby St. Lawrence River (see Laurence). Hence, Laurasia. The Laurentian library in Florence is named for Lorenzo (Latin Laurentius) de' Medici.

1881, from Euro- + Asia. First record of it in any language seems to be in H. Reusche's "Handbuch der Geographie" (1858), but see Eurasian. Related: Eurasiatic (1863).