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1.
The oldest portions of the Indian Ocean formed via the breakup of Gondwana and the subsequent fragmentation of East Gondwana. We present a constrained plate model for this early Indian Ocean development for the time period from Gondwana Breakup until the start of the Cretaceous Normal Superchron. The motions of the East Gondwana terranes are determined using new geophysical observations in the Somali Basin and existing geophysical interpretations from other coeval Indian Ocean basins. Within the Somali Basin, recent satellite gravity data clearly resolve traces of an east–west trending extinct spreading ridge and north–south oriented fracture zones. A thorough compilation of Somali Basin ship track magnetic data allows us to interpret magnetic anomalies M24Bn through M0r about this extinct ridge. Our magnetic interpretations from the Somali Basin are similar in age, spreading rate, and spreading directions to magnetic anomalies previously interpreted in the neighboring Mozambique Basin and Riiser Larsen Sea. The similarity between the two magnetic anomaly datasets allows us to match both basin's older magnetic anomaly picks by defining a pole of rotation for a single and cohesive East Gondwana plate. However, following magnetic anomaly M15n, we find it is no longer possible to match magnetic picks from both basins and maintain plausible plate motions. In order to match the post-M15n geophysical data we are forced to model the motions of Madagascar/India and East Antarctica/Australia as independent plates. The requirement to utilize two independent plates after anomaly M15n provides strong circumstantial evidence that suggests East Gondwana breakup began around 135 Ma.  相似文献   

2.
Between eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean, Madagascar was a part of the Gondwana at the end of the Proterozoic. Its evolution, from the Carboniferous through to the present times, displays successive stages of the Gondwana disintegration.The original location of Madagascar, close to present Kenya, is deduced from sedimentological, structural and palæomagnetic data. During Permo-Triassic times, it was submitted to a northeast-southwest regional extension, which resulted in the opening of the Karoo Basins. During the Mid-Late Jurassic, opening of the Somalian and Mozambican Oceanic Basins was accompanied by the translation of Madagascar along a north-south trending transform fault, located along the present Davie Ridge. The Late Cretaceous was characterised in the island by an acceleration of the subsidence in the coastal basins and by an important magmatic, essentially effusive, activity. This marked the beginning of a northeast-southwest extension, opening of the Mascarene Oceanic Basin and separation of India from Madagascar. Since the Neogene up to present times, another extensional regime developed, as in eastern Africa, characterised by a roughly east-west extensional horizontal direction, which results in the opening of faulted basins and the emission of Pliocene-Quaternary alkaline magmas.  相似文献   

3.
利用最新的钻井、地震资料,对东非凯瑞巴斯盆地(Kerimbas Basin)进行构造–地层解释和构造演化过程恢复。结果显示,凯瑞巴斯盆地共发育了4期构造变形:(1)二叠纪–早侏罗世晚期的冈瓦纳陆内裂谷活动,全区发生伸展构造变形;(2)早侏罗世晚期–早白垩世晚期马达加斯加向南漂移,全区发生右行走滑变形;(3)新发现晚白垩世局部伸展构造变形;(4)中新世–第四纪的东非裂谷海域分支活动,导致研究区发生第三期伸展构造变形,形成凯瑞巴斯盆地现今地堑形态。三期伸展构造变形的应力方向均为近E-W向,断层展布方向均为近S-N向。每一期构造变形的范围,强度及对沉积地层的控制作用差异显著。凯瑞巴斯盆地控坳断层活动具有继承性。基于研究结果,建立凯瑞巴斯盆地构造成因模式。冈瓦纳陆内裂谷活动有利于二叠系–下侏罗统构造圈闭的形成,并沟通了烃源岩和储层,有利深层油气的聚集;东非裂谷海域分支裂谷活动沟通了前新生界烃源岩和西部陆坡古近系储层,但同时也破坏了盆地内及东部的圈闭。断层不发育的西部陆坡为主要油气聚集区。  相似文献   

4.
The Amirante ridge/trough complex developed along the Late Cretaceous transform boundary that separated the Seychelles/India and Madagascar/Somali Basin plates. Motion between these plates was complex, comprising sinistral N-S strike-slip movement coupled and coeval with counter-clockwise rotation induced when seafloor spreading developed in only the southern portion of the transform. The overall morphology of the complex comprises a series of arcuate ridge and trough segments. These segments were successively produced by tectonic and volcanic activity within the zone of migrating plate contact adjacent to the rotational pivot where compression was replaced by extension along the transform boundary. In the extensional regime to the south of this contact zone the Mascarene oceanic basin developed, whilst in the compressional zone further north island arcs developed and the ophiolites of Baluchistan were obducted from the Somali Basin onto the leading edge of the Seychelles/India plate.  相似文献   

5.
Understanding the roles of Cenozoic strike-slip faults in SE Asia observed in outcrop onshore, with their offshore continuation has produced a variety of structural models (particularly pull-apart vs. oblique extension, escape tectonics vs. slab-pull-driven extension) to explain their relationships to sedimentary basins. Key problems with interpreting the offshore significance of major strike-slip faults are: (1) reconciling conflicting palaeomagnetic data, (2) discriminating extensional, and oblique-extensional fault geometries from strike-slip geometries on 2D seismic reflection data, and (3) estimating strike-slip displacements from seismic reflection data.Focus on basic strike-slip fault geometries such as restraining vs. releasing bends, and strongly splaying geometries approach the gulfs of Thailand and Tonkin, suggest major strike-slip faults probably do not extend far offshore Splays covering areas 10,000’s km2 in extent are characteristic of the southern portions of the Sagaing, Mae Ping, Three Pagodas and Ailao Shan-Red River faults, and are indicative of major faults dying out. The areas of the fault tips associated with faults of potentially 100 km+ displacement, scale appropriately with global examples of strike-slip faults on log–log displacement vs. tip area plots. The fault geometries in the Song Hong-Yinggehai Basin are inappropriate for a sinistral pull-apart geometry, and instead the southern fault strands of the Ailao Shan-Red River fault are interpreted to die out within the NW part of the Song Hong-Yinggehai Basin. Hence the fault zone does not transfer displacement onto the South China Seas spreading centre. The strike-slip faults are replaced by more extensional, oblique-extensional fault systems offshore to the south. The Sagaing Fault is also superimposed on an older Paleogene–Early Miocene oblique-extensional rift system. The Sagaing Fault geometry is complex, and one branch of the offshore fault zone transfers displacement onto the Pliocene-Recent Andaman spreading centre, and links with the West Andaman and related faults to form a very large pull-apart basin.  相似文献   

6.
In the early Paleozoic the Sino-Korean Craton (SKC) and South China Craton (SCC) were situated along the margin of east Gondwana. The SKC was connected to core Gondwana by an epeiric sea which was the site for deposition of lower Paleozoic sequences of SKC. The SKC and SCC may have drifted away from core Gondwana sometime during the mid-Paleozoic and would have been outboard microcontinents in the late Paleozoic, until they collided to form the East Asian continent in the Triassic. The breakup of SCC from Gondwana was suggested to have taken place at ∼380 Ma, while no reliable suggestions have hitherto been made for breakup of SKC from Gondwana. This study presents a convincing evidence for breakup of SKC from Gondwana, based on the recognition of Late Ordovician volcanism in Korea. New SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages, 445.0 ± 3.7 Ma and 452.5 ± 3.2 Ma, are obtained from trachytic rocks of the Ongnyeobong Formation of Taebaeksan Basin in Korea which occupied the marginal part of the SKC in the early Paleozoic. This Late Ordovician volcanism along with previous records of Ordovician volcanic activities along the western margin of the SKC is interpreted indicating the development of an incipient oceanic ridge. The oceanic ridge uplifted the SKC including the epeiric sea, which subsequently resulted in terminating the early Paleozoic sedimentation of the epeiric sea. The paucity of lower Paleozoic volcanic rocks across much of the SKC however suggests that the oceanic ridge did not extend into the epeiric sea. Instead, spreading of oceanic ridge entailed dextral movement of associated transform faults, which may have played a major role in breakup of SKC from mainland Gondwana by the end of Ordovician.  相似文献   

7.
The Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary history of northern Somalia and the Morondava Basin of south-western Madagascar have been studied. Both regions display an independent facial development; however, a comparison of the sequential evolution of the Mesozoic sedimentary successions in these two presently widely separated areas reveals a surprisingly high level of similarity, which probably reflects major events during the disintegration of Eastern Gondwana during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Although in Jurassic times the onset of transgressions and regressions in both areas compares well with eustatic development, major deviations in combination with the tectonic activities of different degrees are observed in the Early and Late Cretaceous synchronously in both regions. Transgressions are observed in Toarcian, Bajocian (not dated in northern Somalia), Callovian, Valanginian (Madagascar only), Aptian and Campanian times. Tectonism is noted before the Aptian and Campanian transgressions in northern Somalia and the Morondava Basin of south-western Madagascar.  相似文献   

8.
One hundred and thirty-six species, representing 67 genera have been recorded from the late Jurassic-Maastrichtian marine sediments of South Africa. The faunas show a major dichotomy across a regionally-developed late Cenomanian-early Coniacian hiatus with the Portlandian-Cenomanian Cytheruridae/Progonocytheridae/Schizocytheridae dominated faunas being replaced in the Coniacian by Trachyleberididae/Brachycytheridae/Schizocytheridae dominated faunas. Comparison with other Gondwanide localities shows that the two South African basins from which ostracods have been described (Outeniqua and Natal/Zululand) formed part of a Callovian-Cenomanian South Gondwana ostracod province that stretched from the Neuquen Basin of Argentina to Madagascar/Tanzania/Kutch and west Australia. The most characteristic and cosmopolitan forms within this province belong to the Majungaella/Amicytheridea/Progonocythere group, along with Arculicythere in the Aptian-Cenomanian.In Tanzania, (the only locality of the old South Gondwana province where the succession is complete) these assemblages are replaced in the Turonian by the influx of Brachycythere, and Cythereis and various other trachyleberids. Changes of a similar nature are seen whenever marine sedimentation resumed after the local “mid” Cretaceous hiatus (South Africa, India, Argentina). Argentina differs in not having Brachycythere, whose rapid appearance in the West Indian Ocean basin soon after its earliest record in Brazil, is attributed to the destruction of the barrier at the eastern end of the Walvis Ridge/Rio Grande Rise in late Cenomanian or early Turonian times. Despite this common element with Brazil and West Africa, the South African Coniacian to Maastrichtian faunas are closer to those of Tanzania and Australia than they are to either Argentina or Brazil/West Africa. In Zululand they show evidence of a steady increase in water depth, leading to the establishment of progressively more diverse cytheracean populations, with a particularly large increase across the Santonian/Campanian boundary.  相似文献   

9.
New U–Pb zircon ages and Sr–Nd isotopic data for Triassic igneous and metamorphic rocks from northern New Guinea help constrain models of the evolution of Australia's northern and eastern margin. These data provide further evidence for an Early to Late Triassic volcanic arc in northern New Guinea, interpreted to have been part of a continuous magmatic belt along the Gondwana margin, through South America, Antarctica, New Zealand, the New England Fold Belt, New Guinea and into southeast Asia. The Early to Late Triassic volcanic arc in northern New Guinea intrudes high‐grade metamorphic rocks probably resulting from Late Permian to Early Triassic (ca 260–240 Ma) orogenesis, as recorded in the New England Fold Belt. Late Triassic magmatism in New Guinea (ca 220 Ma) is related to coeval extension and rifting as a precursor to Jurassic breakup of the Gondwana margin. In general, mantle‐like Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of mafic Palaeozoic to Tertiary granitoids appear to rule out the presence of a North Australian‐type Proterozoic basement under the New Guinea Mobile Belt. Parts of northern New Guinea may have a continental or transitional basement whereas adjacent areas are underlain by oceanic crust. It is proposed that the post‐breakup margin comprised promontories of extended Proterozoic‐Palaeozoic continental crust separated by embayments of oceanic crust, analogous to Australia's North West Shelf. Inferred movement to the south of an accretionary prism through the Triassic is consistent with subduction to the south‐southwest beneath northeast Australia generating arc‐related magmatism in New Guinea and the New England Fold Belt.  相似文献   

10.
It is well known that western Myanmar is underlain by a continental fragment, the West Burma Block, but there are arguments about its origin and the time of its arrival in SE Asia. This study presents the first petrological, XRD diffraction, heavy mineral and detrital zircon U-Pb age data from turbidite sandstones in the Chin Hills that were deposited on West Burma crust in the Triassic. These sandstones contain detritus derived from areas surrounding West Burma and thus help resolve arguments about its location in the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. West Burma, Sibumasu and Western Australia have similar populations of Archean zircons derived from Western Australian cratons. Until the Devonian all formed part of the Gondwana supercontinent. The abundance of Archean zircons decreases from Western Australia to West Burma and then to Sibumasu. This is consistent with their relative positions in the Gondwana margin, with Sibumasu furthest outboard from Western Australia. Differences in zircon populations indicate that Indochina was not close to West Burma or Sibumasu in Gondwana. West Burma contains abundant Permian and Triassic zircons. These are unknown in Western Australia and different from those of the Carnarvon Basin; they were probably derived from SE Asian tin belt granitoids. Cr spinel is present in most West Burma sandstones; it is common in SE Asia but rare in Western Australia. These new data show that West Burma was part of SE Asia before the Mesozoic and support suggestions that the Argo block that rifted in the Jurassic is not West Burma.  相似文献   

11.
Linked fault systems identified in the northern portion of the onshore Perth basin comprise north‐striking normal faults, the dominant structures in the basin, and hard linkages—east‐striking transfer faults. The former are either divided into segments of distinctive character by, or terminate at, the transfer faults. The fault systems were initiated by west‐southwest‐east‐northeast extension in the Early Permian but were reactivated by subsequent rifting with approximately east‐west extension in the Jurassic. They were also reactivated by the oblique extension of northwest‐southeast orientation associated with Gondwana continental breakup in the Late Jurassic ‐ earliest Cretaceous. In addition to reactivation, older structures of the linked fault families controlled the development of younger fractures and folds. During the oblique extension, the linked fault systems define releasing bends, characterised by a rollover anticline in the hangingwall of the Mountain Bridge Fault, and restraining bends where contractional folds are sites of major commercial hydrocarbon fields in the basin.  相似文献   

12.
We have identified an extinct E–W spreading center in the northern Natal valley on the basis of magnetic anomalies which was active from chron M11 (133 Ma) to 125.3 Ma, just before chron M2 (124 Ma) in the Early Cretaceous. Seafloor spreading in the northern Natal valley accounts for approximately 170 km of north–south motion between the Mozambique Ridge and Africa. This extension resolves the predicted overlap of the continental (central and southern) Mozambique Ridge and Antarctica in the chron M2 to M11 reconstructions from Mesozoic finite rotation parameters for Africa and Antarctica. In addition, the magnetic data reveal that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from at least 133 to 125 Ma. The northern Natal valley extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the Mozambique Basin and the Riiser-Larsen Sea to the east. It follows that the northern Mozambique Ridge was either formed after the emplacement of the surrounding oceanic crust or it is the product of a very robust spreading center. To the west the extinct spreading center connects to the spreading center separating the southern Natal valley and Georgia Basin via a transform fault. Prior to chron M11, there is still a problem with the overlap of Mozambique Ridge if it is assumed to be fixed with respect to either the African or Antarctic plates. Some of the overlap can be accounted for by Jurassic deformation of the Mozambique Ridge, Mozambique Basin, and Dronning Maud land. It appears though that the Mozambique Ridge was an independent microplate from the breakup of Gondwana, 160 Ma, until it became part of the African plate, 125 Ma.  相似文献   

13.
The Ranotsara shear zone in Madagascar has been considered in previous studies to be a >350-km-long, intracrustal strike-slip shear zone of Precambrian/Cambrian age. Because of its oblique strike to the east and west coast of Madagascar, the Ranotsara shear zone has been correlated with shear zones in southern India and eastern Africa in Gondwana reconstructions. Our assessment using remote sensing data and field-based investigations, however, reveals that what previously has been interpreted as the Ranotsara shear zone is in fact a composite structure with a ductile deflection zone confined to its central segment and prominent NW–SE trending brittle faulting along most of its length. We therefore prefer the more neutral term “Ranotsara Zone”. Lithologies, tectonic foliations, and axial trace trajectories of major folds can be followed from south to north across most of the Ranotsara Zone and show only a marked deflection along its central segment. The ductile deflection zone is interpreted as a result of E–W indentation of the Antananarivo Block into the less rigid, predominantly metasedimentary rocks of the Southwestern Madagascar Block during a late phase of the Neoproterozoic/Cambrian East African Orogeny (c. 550–520 Ma). The Ranotsara Zone shows significant NW–SE striking brittle faulting that reactivates part of the NW–SE striking ductile structures in the flexure zone, but also extends along strike toward the NW and toward the SE. Brittle reactivation of ductile structures along the central segment of the Ranotsara Zone, confirmed by apatite-fission track results, may have led to the formation of a shallow Neogene basin underlying the Ranotsara plain. The present-day drainage pattern suggests on-going normal fault activity along the central segment. The Ranotsara Zone is not a megascale intracrustal strike-slip shear zone that crosscuts the entire basement of southern Madagascar. It can therefore not be used as a piercing point in Gondwana reconstructions.  相似文献   

14.
The evolution of faults and paleodrainage patterns on the southwestern Australian passive margin during and after the breakup of Gondwana in the Early Cretaceous remains poorly understood. This contribution investigates the fault and paleodrainage evolution in the southern Perth Basin with the use of the ‘Bunbury Basalt’, the only lava flows known to be synchronous with continental breakup. New aeromagnetic data have been integrated with well intersections and outcrop constraints to establish the first 3D model of the Bunbury Basalt. The model reveals that flows are up to 100 m thick and are predominantly confined to two north–south-trending paleovalleys and their tributaries situated in the Bunbury Trough in the southern Perth Basin. The Donnybrook Paleovalley flow ponded in a paleovalley proximal to the Darling Fault and is truncated by the two later flows within the Bunbury Paleovalley, which is positioned centrally in the Bunbury Trough. Offsets of the Bunbury Basalt have been used to identify new northeast- and northwest-trending faults in the southern Perth Basin, and broad folding is interpreted as a consequence of drag into the Darling and Busselton faults. The model has been used to determine post-basalt net displacements for the Darling and Busselton faults of 370 and 210 m, respectively, and <175 m for the northeast and northwest-trending faults. The source vents for the Bunbury Basalt were probably located at extensional jogs at intersections between the Darling Fault and subordinate oblique faults. These results challenge the views on longstanding quiescence of the post-breakup western Australian passive margin.  相似文献   

15.
The movement of Antarctica with respect to South America has a number of implications for paleocirculation as well as for the reconstructions of Gondwanaland. Recent papers on the Southwest Indian Ridge have published new or revised poles of opening for Africa and Antarctica which can be combined with the poles of opening between South America and Africa to give resultant motions between South America and Antarctica.The first indication of a complete closure between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is at anomaly 28 time (64 Ma) as the two continents are now configured. Between anomaly 28 time (64 Ma) and anomaly M0 time (119 Ma) the amount of closure does not change greatly, and the small computed overlap can be explained by minor uncertainties in the rotation poles used for the reconstructions or some slight extension between East and West Antarctica. By 135 Ma some rotation or translation of the Antarctic Peninsula with respect to East Antarctica must be postulated in addition to any presumed extension between East and West Antarctica in order to avoid an overlap of South America with the Antarctic Peninsula.Having determined what we feel to be a viable reconstruction of Western Gondwanaland and holding South America fixed, we rotated Africa and Antarctica, with respect to South America, for eight different times during the past. Africa moved away from South America in a more or less consistent manner throughout the time period, closure to present, while Antarctica moved away from Africa in a consistent manner only between 160 Ma and 64 Ma. At 64 Ma its motion changed abruptly: it slowed its north-south motion with respect to Africa and began slow east-west extension with respect to South America. This change supports the hypothesis that a major reorganization of the triple junction between Africa, Antarctica and South America occurred between 60 and 65 Ma. The triple junction changed from ridge-ridge-ridge to ridge-fault-fault at the time of the major westward jump of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge just south of the Falkland-Agulhas Fracture Zone.The Mesozoic opening of the Somali Basin moved Madagascar from its presumed original position with Africa in Gondwanaland. The closure of Sri Lanka with India produces a unique fit for India and Sri Lanka with respect to Africa, Madagascar and Antarctica. This fit juxtaposes geological localities in Southeast India against similar localities in Enderhy Land. East Antarctica. The late Jurassic opening in the Somali Basin is tied to opening of the same age in the Mozambique Basin. Since this late Jurassic movement represents the initial break-up of Gondwanaland, it is assumed that similar movement must have occurred in what is now the western Weddell Sea and may also explain the opening evidenced by the Rocas Verdes region of southern South America.  相似文献   

16.
The hydrocarbon potential of the sub-surface Lamu basin (SE Kenya) offshore sedimentary rock sequences of Mesozoic age formed the premise of this study. Major similarities and some differences in structural styles can be seen between the offshore Lamu and the Gondwana basins along the margins of Indian Ocean and Carnarvon basin along Australia’s North West Shelf, where oil pools have been discovered. The existing well results and recent 2-D seismic data have been interpreted to identify various structural styles and play fairway segments, which bolster the possibility that the Karroo to late Tertiary sedimentary mega-sequences (～3000–13000 m thick), suitable for hydrocarbon exploration, could be visualized in both the onshore and offshore Lamu basin areas. Similarly, major reservoir-seal and potential source intervals have been identified in the present study. The hydrocarbon indicator from the well-log data shows that oil potential in complex multiple petroleum systems, ranging in age from Triassic to Tertiary, have tested gas deposits. Well control of only one exploratory well per 25,000 sq km in the offshore Lamu basin shows evidence of the existence of at least two active petroleum systems. The Lamu basin has evolved consequent to a complex tectonic activity related to continental rifting and block faulting of the Lamu-Anza and Central African rift systems. An attempt has been made to recommend the probable prognostic structural leads, which are controlled by NW-SE trending faults sympathetic to the Anza-Lamu rift systems, for future essential sub-surface features of source rocks, reservoir rocks and the cap rocks in the Lamu basin.  相似文献   

17.
The Northern Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia has experienced a polyphase deformation history during the breakup of Gondwana. Extension during the Carboniferous–Permian and a subsequent Early Jurassic rift event imposed two distinct fault systems, separated by a several kilometre-thick Triassic sedimentary sequence. Inboard areas, where Triassic sequences are thinner, Jurassic faults both detach above and also penetrate into Permian sequences. Other large-scale faults demonstrate a vertical hard/soft linkage between the two fault systems. In outboard areas where the Triassic is thicker, the relationship is less clear owing to the lower resolution of Permian sequences in seismic data. Here we undertake fault displacement analysis on three faults on the southern margin of the Exmouth Plateau to investigate the growth mechanism of Jurassic-aged faults and possible structural influence of deeper Permian faults. We find evidence of low-throw faults restricted to Mesozoic strata as more complex-segmented faults that have nucleated at a depth below that resolvable on seismic data. When considered in a regional context, the nature of faults in this study suggest oblique reactivation of the NE-trending Permian fabric, under east–west-oriented extension.  相似文献   

18.
Rocks in the northern Leeuwin Complex of southwestern Australia preserve evidence of having formed during the breakup of Rodinia and the subsequent amalgamation of Gondwana. Detailed field mapping, structural investigation and U–Pb isotopic zircon analysis, using the Sensitive High‐mass Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), have revealed that: (i) protoliths of pink granite gneiss and grey granodiorite gneiss crystallised at ca 750 Ma, coeval with breakup of western Rodinia; (ii) granulite/upper amphibolite facies metamorphism occurred at 522 ± 5 Ma, in the Early Cambrian, ～100 million years later than previous estimates and of identical age to estimates of the final amalgamation of Gondwana; and (iii) three major phases of ductile deformation occurred during or after this metamorphism and represent a progressive strain evolution from subvertical shortening (D1) to subhorizontal east‐west (D2) then north‐northwest‐south‐southeast (D3) contraction.  相似文献   

19.
The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) are one of Earth's great mountain belts and are a fundamental physiographic feature of Antarctica. They are continental-scale, traverse a wide range of latitudes, have high relief, contain a significant proportion of exposed rock on the continent, and represent a major arc of environmental and geological transition. Although the modern physiography is largely of Cenozoic origin, this major feature has persisted for hundreds of millions of years since the Neoproterozoic to the modern. Its mere existence as the planet's longest intraplate mountain belt at the transition between a thick stable craton in East Antarctica and a large extensional province in West Antarctica is a continuing enigma. The early and more cryptic tectonic evolution of the TAM includes Mesoarchean and Paleoproterozoic crust formation as part of the Columbia supercontinent, followed by Neoproterozoic rift separation from Laurentia during breakup of Rodinia. Development of an Andean-style Gondwana convergent margin resulted in a long-lived Ross orogenic cycle from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Paleozoic, succeeded by crustal stabilization and widespread denudation during early Gondwana time, and intra-cratonic and foreland-basin sedimentation during late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic development of Pangea. Voluminous mafic volcanism, sill emplacement, and layered igneous intrusion are a primary signature of hotspot-influenced Jurassic extension during Gondwana breakup. The most recent phase of TAM evolution involved tectonic uplift and exhumation related to Cenozoic extension at the inboard edge of the West Antarctic Rift System, accompanied by Neogene to modern glaciation and volcanism related to the McMurdo alkaline volcanic province. Despite the remote location and relative inaccessibility of the TAM, its underlying varied and diachronous geology provides important clues for reconstructing past supercontinents and influences the modern flow patterns of both ice and atmospheric circulation, signifying that the TAM have both continental and global importance through time.  相似文献   

20.
The Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian evolution of peri-Gondwanan terranes (e.g. Avalonia, Carolinia, Cadomia) along the northern (Amazonia, West Africa) margin of Gondwana provides insights into the amalgamation of West Gondwana. The main phase of tectonothermal activity occurred between ca. 640–540 Ma and produced voluminous arc-related igneous and sedimentary successions related to subduction beneath the northern Gondwana margin. Subduction was not terminated by continental collision so that these terranes continued to face an open ocean into the Cambrian. Prior to the main phase of tectonothermal activity, Sm-Nd isotopic studies suggest that the basement of Avalonia, Carolinia and part of Cadomia was juvenile lithosphere generated between 0.8 and 1.1 Ga within the peri-Rodinian (Mirovoi) ocean. Vestiges of primitive 760–670 Ma arcs developed upon this lithosphere are preserved. Juvenile lithosphere generated between 0.8 and 1.1 Ga also underlies arcs formed in the Brazilide Ocean between the converging Congo/São Francisco and West Africa/Amazonia cratons (e.g. the Tocantins province of Brazil). Together, these juvenile arc assemblages with similar isotopic characteristics may reflect subduction in the Mirovoi and Brazilide oceans as a compensation for the ongoing breakup of Rodinia and the generation of the Paleopacific. Unlike the peri-Gondwanan terranes, however, arc magmatism in the Brazilide Ocean was terminated by continent-continent collisions and the resulting orogens became located within the interior of an amalgamated West Gondwana. Accretion of juvenile peri-Gondwanan terranes to the northern Gondwanan margin occurred in a piecemeal fashion between 650 and 600 Ma, after which subduction stepped outboard to produce the relatively mature and voluminous main arc phase along the periphery of West Gondwana. This accretionary event may be a far-field response to the breakup of Rodinia. The geodynamic relationship between the closure of the Brazilide Ocean, the collision between the Congo/São Francisco and Amazonia/West Africa cratons, and the tectonic evolution of the peri-Gondwanan terranes may be broadly analogous to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic closure of the Tethys Ocean, the collision between India and Asia beginning at ca. 50 Ma, and the tectonic evolution of the western Pacific Ocean.  相似文献   

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