The supercontinent Pangea formed by the subduction of the Iapetus and Rheic oceans between Gondwana, Laurentia, and Baltica during mid-to-late Paleozoic times. However, there remains much debate regarding how this amalgamation was achieved. Most paleogeographic models based on paleomagnetic data argue that the juxtaposition of Gondwana and Laurussia (Laurentia-Baltica) was achieved via long-lasting highly oblique convergence in the late Paleozoic. In contrast, many geology-based reconstructions suggest that the collision between the two continents was likely initiated via a Gondwanan promontory comprising the Iberian, Armorican, and Bohemian massifs, and parts of the basement units in the Alpine orogen during the Early Devonian. To help resolve this discrepancy, we present an updated compilation of high-quality paleopoles of mid-to-late Paleozoic ages (spanning Middle Ordovician and Carboniferous times) from Gondwana, Laurentia, and Baltica. These paleopoles were evaluated with the Van der Voo selection criteria, corrected for inclination error where necessary, and were used to revise their apparent polar wander (APW) paths. The revised APW paths were constructed using an innovative approach in which age errors, A95 ovals, and Q-factors of individual paleopoles are taken into account. By combining the resulting APW paths with existing geological data and field relationships in the European Variscides, we provide mid-to-late Paleozoic paleogeographic reconstructions which indicate that the formation of Pangea was likely initiated at 400 Ma via the collision between Laurussia and a ribbon-like Gondwanan promontory that was itself formed by a scissor-like opening of the Paleotethys Ocean, and that the amalgamation culminated in the mostly orthogonal convergence between Gondwana and Laurussia.

中文翻译：

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Pangea的合并：重新研究古地磁和地质观测

超大陆Pangea是古生代中期至晚期在冈瓦纳，劳伦蒂亚和波罗的海之间的伊帕特斯河和莱茵河洋俯冲而形成的。但是，关于如何实现这种合并仍存在很多争论。大多数基于古地磁数据的古地理模型认为，冈瓦那和月桂（劳伦西亚-巴尔蒂卡）的并置是通过古生代晚期的长期高度倾斜收敛而实现的。相反，许多基于地质的重建表明，两大洲之间的碰撞可能是通过包括伊比利亚，阿莫里坎和波希米亚地块以及早期泥盆纪时期高山造山带中基底单元的一部分的冈瓦纳海角引发的。为了帮助解决这一差异，我们提供了冈瓦纳，劳伦西亚和波罗的海中古生代（跨越中奥陶纪和石炭纪时期）的高质量古极的最新汇编。这些古极按照范德沃（Van der Voo）选择标准进行了评估，并在必要时校正了倾斜度误差，并用于修正其视在极地游荡（APW）路径。修改后的APW路径是使用创新方法构建的，其中考虑了年龄误差，A95椭圆和各个古极的Q因子。通过将所得的APW路径与欧洲Variscides中的现有地质数据和田间关系相结合，