Second symposium on Gondwana stratigraphy and palaeontology, South Africa, 1970

Abstract

T he S outhern H emisphere continents and India are believed to be fragments of a former supercontinent, Gondwanaland, which broke apart in later Mesozoic times. Inevitably, those working in these regions have many problems of common interest, but there are few opportunities for Gondwana geologists to meet for discussion and exchange of information. To remedy this a series of Symposia was proposed, with meetings in each of the major fragments of Gondwanaland. The proposal was made in 1964, at a meeting of the I.U.G.S. Subcommission of Gondwana Stratigraphy held at the International Geological Congress in New Delhi. The First Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Palaeontology was held in Argentina in 1967, and was so successful that the future of these meetings was assured. The papers given at the First Symposium have been published, the majority in a single large volume published by U.N.E.S.C.O. 1 A smaller number of papers, reviews of the geology of the major regions of Gondwanaland by invited authors, was published by the I.U.G.S. Committee for the study of Geological Documentation. 2 The Second Symposium was held in South Africa in July 1970 by kind invitation of the South African Government, and was organized by the South African C.S.I.R. Scientific papers were given at two sessions, one held in Cape Town, the other in Johannesburg. Plenary papers covered various topics of general interest: Glaciations of Gondwanaland (L. A. Frakes), Palaeomagnetic data from Gondwanaland (K. M. Creer), Continental drift and palaeo-current analysis (J. J. Bigarella), Marine fossil invertebrates of the Gondwana region