Gondwana breakup: Messages from the North Natal Valley |
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| Authors: | Maryline Moulin Daniel Aslanian Mikael Evain Anglique Leprêtre Philippe Schnurle Fanny Verrier Joseph Thompson Philippe De Clarens Sylvie Leroy Nuno Dias |
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| Institution: | Maryline Moulin,Daniel Aslanian,Mikael Evain,Angélique Leprêtre,Philippe Schnurle,Fanny Verrier,Joseph Thompson,Philippe De Clarens,Sylvie Leroy,Nuno Dias, |
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| Abstract: | The Natal Valley, offshore Mozambique, is a key area for understanding the evolution of East Gondwana. Within the scope of the integrated multidisciplinary PAMELA project, we present new wide‐angle seismic data and interpretations, which considerably alter Geoscience paradigms. These data reveal the presence of a 30‐km‐thick crust that we argue to be of continental nature. This falsifies all the most recent palaeo‐reconstructions of the Gondwana. This 30‐km‐thick continental crust 1,000 m below sea level implies a complex history with probable intrusions of mantle‐derived melts in the lower crust, connected to several occurrences of magmatism, which seems to evidence the crucial role of the lower continental crust in passive margin genesis. |
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