Gondwana events and pal˦ogeography:A pal˦omagnetic review

Abstract

Several important tectonic episodes stand out in Gondwana's major and microplatemotions: (1) Gondwana assembly; (2) the general movement of Gondwana towards higher latitudes in the Pal˦ozoic; (3) the influence of terranes on Gondwana Mesozoic break-up motions; and (4) Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrane motion along Gondwana's convergent margins. Current palaeomagnetic data indicate that the various fragments of Gondwana were assembled between ∼900 and ∼500 Ma. After assembly, the East Gondwana portion of Gondwana moved from more equatorial latitudes in the Early Pal˦ozoic into much higher latitudes by the Late Pal˦ozoic, whereas that of West Gondwana was the opposite. This overall motion and concomitant climatic change had a profound influence on the pal˦oevolution of different Gondwana faunas and floras in the Pal˦ozoic. During the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic, convergence along the Gondwana margin resulted in accretion of various microplates. By the Early to Mid-Jurassic, pal˦omagnetic data suggest that terrane motion along the pal˦o-Pacific margin of Gondwana was related to the initial break-up of the supercontinent. This motion, especially in West Antarctica and New Zealand, caused the intermittent occurrence of palaeoseaways and landbridges between East and West Gondwana. In the Tertiary, collision of India and Africa with Eurasia caused significant local rotations associated with regional deformation.