Abstract
Plate reorganization events involve fundamental changes in lithospheric plate-motions and can influence the lithosphere-mantle system as well as both ocean and atmospheric circulation through bathymetric and topographic changes. Here, we compile published data to interpret the geological record of the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield and integrate this with a full-plate tectonic reconstruction. Our model reveals a plate reorganization event in the late Tonian period about 720 million years ago that changed plate-movement directions in the Mozambique Ocean. After the reorganization, Neoproterozoic India moved towards both the African cratons and Australia-Mawson and instigated the future amalgamation of central Gondwana about 200 million years later. This plate kinematic change is coeval with the breakup of the core of Rodinia between Australia-Mawson and Laurentia and Kalahari and Congo. We suggest the plate reorganization event caused the long-term shift of continents to the southern hemisphere and created a pan-northern hemisphere ocean in the Ediacaran.
Highlights
Plate tectonics has been causally linked to the Cryogenian climate instability[14,15,16], to the coeval Neoproterozoic OxygenationEvent[17,18], to the biosphere tumult that included the ecological takeover of eukaryote cells[19,20] and, to the evolution of metazoans[21,22]
By adding in geological data from relic volcanic arcs into these full-plate topological reconstructions of the ancient earth, we provide a new interpretation of the oceanic plate kinematic and dynamic evolution of the Neoproterozoic Mozambique Ocean
The model, does present interesting implications for the progression of plate tectonics over this time, the distribution of plates, of continents and oceans and leads to hypotheses for plate tectonic influence of earth-surface systems that we begin to explore in this paper
Summary
Plate tectonics has been causally linked to the Cryogenian climate instability[14,15,16], to the coeval Neoproterozoic Oxygenation. The end of the Proterozoic eon is marked by some of the most dramatic events in Earth’s history, with this period of time being characterized by extensive changes in seawater chemistry demonstrated through the strontium, sulfur and carbon isotope records, large climatic extremes, and preservation of the Ediacaran faunal assemblage and the explosion of Cambrian fauna[27]. These global variations are concurrent with the amalgamation of Gondwana, and the closure of the Mozambique Ocean; representing one of the major and final Gondwana forming collisional zones[28]. The ANS, and adjacent Gondwanan rocks in North Africa and from east Arabia to NW India preserve the evidence we use to reconstruct the plate tectonic circuit as Neoproterozoic India converged and collided with the African parts of Gondwana[26]
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