Australian Palaeozoic palaeomagnetism and tectonics—II. A revised apparent polar wander path and palaeogeography

Abstract

New palaeomagnetic data from mid- to Late Palaeozoic rocks in Australia have enabled us to revise the Palaeozoic apparent polar wander path (APWP). This modified Australian APWP is supported by data from other parts of Gondwanaland. The palaeomagnetic poles indicate that during the Early and mid-Palaeozoic. Australia underwent rapid rotation: first clockwise during the mid-Ordovician to the Early Silurian, then counterclockwise from the mid-Silurian until the end of the Devonian, while it remained at low to equatorial latitudes. This was succeeded by a rapid southward movement during mid-Carboniferous times. The implications of the palaeomagnetic data for the tectonic relationship between the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) and cratonic Australia are consistent with the tectonic evidence that the LFB has been in place since the mid-Devonian.