Final answer:
The Cambrian epicontinental sea on the North American craton was called the Kaskaskia Sea, and the oldest cratonic sequence is known as the Laurentian Sequence. Laurentia, the ancient geological core of North America, provides insights into the continent's geologic history, including evidence from places like Lake Superior and Manhattan's Manhattan schist.
Step-by-step explanation:
The epicontinental sea on the North American craton during the Cambrian period was known as the Kaskaskia Sea. This sea formed due to the continental collision resulting in inland seas and foreland basins such as the Catskill clastic wedge after the collision of North America with the Avalon terrane. In terms of geological time scales, the Cambrian period saw major evolutionary events including the Cambrian Explosion, which marked the rapid diversification of life forms.
The oldest cratonic sequence on the North American craton is referred to as the Laurentian Sequence, named after the Laurentia craton. This craton is the ancient geological core of the North American continent, and it includes regions such as the underlying geology of Lake Superior, which evidences the continent's complex geologic history involving rifting and failed attempts to break apart.
Laurentia is integral in understanding the geological evolution of North America, with geological remnants like the Manhattan schist in New York City revealing exciting aspects of Manhattan's geologic history. Geological evidence for major tectonic collisions across the United States is found in phenomena such as the sand dunes in Utah, the vertical sandstone slabs in Colorado, fossil evidence in northwestern North America, and tectonic features like the San Andreas fault.