Pharusian Ocean
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The Pharusian Ocean (/fəˈruːziən/; fuh-ROO-zee-uhn) is an ancient ocean that existed on Earth from 800 to 635 million years ago, between the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent and the start of formation of the Pannotia supercontinent.
The Pharusian Ocean opened around 800 million years ago in the Neoproterozoic era after rifting along the eastern margin of the West African craton during the breakup of Rodinia. The ocean began to close around 730 million years ago with eastward subduction of the Tilemsi arc, which was accreted against the Hoggar region of the Saharan Metacraton.[1] The western part of the Hoggar massif is made of material from the Pharusian Ocean including oceanic basalts, arc volcanic and sedimentary rocks and sediments that were shed into the Pharusian Ocean by the West African craton and the eastern Hoggar.[2] Closure was completed when the West African and Saharan cratons collided around 635 million years ago at the start of the Pan-African orogeny.[3]
