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Major Australian-Antarctic Plate Reorganization at Hawaiian-Emperor Bend Time
Citation
Whittaker, J and Muller, RD and Leitchenkov, G and Stagg, H and Sdrolias, M and Gaina, C and Goncharov, A, Major Australian-Antarctic Plate Reorganization at Hawaiian-Emperor Bend Time, Science, 318 pp. 83-86. ISSN 0036-8075 (2007) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2007 AAAS
DOI: doi:10.1126/science.1143769
Abstract
A marked bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain supposedly resulted from a recent major
reorganization of the plate-mantle system there 50 million years ago. Although alternative mantledriven
and plate-shifting hypotheses have been proposed, no contemporaneous circum-Pacific plate
events have been identified. We report reconstructions for Australia and Antarctica that reveal a major
plate reorganization between 50 and 53 million years ago. Revised Pacific Ocean sea-floor
reconstructions suggest that subduction of the Pacific-Izanagi spreading ridge and subsequent
Marianas/Tonga-Kermadec subduction initiation may have been the ultimate causes of these events.
Thus, these plate reconstructions solve long-standing continental fit problems and improve constraints
on the motion between East and West Antarctica and global plate circuit closure.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Australia, Antarctica, Izanagi, subduction, plate reorganization |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Geology |
Research Field: | Marine geoscience |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences |
UTAS Author: | Whittaker, J (Associate Professor Jo Whittaker) |
ID Code: | 84443 |
Year Published: | 2007 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 203 |
Deposited By: | IMAS Research and Education Centre |
Deposited On: | 2013-05-14 |
Last Modified: | 2016-12-21 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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