Abstract
The presence of a first‐order unconformity in the central part of the Scandinavian Caledonides, linking together early Ordovician/late Cambrian outboard oceanic ternes and the continental margin of Baltic, is of considerable importance for interpreting the geodynamic framework of the orogen. This and other criteria for terne linkage are described, together with implications for the regional tectonostratigraphic development in this segment of the Caledonides.