File(s) under permanent embargo
Major Australian-Antarctic Plate Reorganization at Hawaiian-Emperor Bend Time
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 17:31 authored by Joanne WhittakerJoanne Whittaker, Muller, RD, Leitchenkov, G, Stagg, H, Sdrolias, M, Gaina, C, Goncharov, AA 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.
History
Publication title
ScienceVolume
318Pagination
83-86ISSN
0036-8075Department/School
Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesPublisher
Amer Assoc Advancement SciencePlace of publication
1200 New York Ave, Nw, Washington, USA, Dc, 20005Rights statement
Copyright 2007 AAASRepository Status
- Restricted