Reconstructing Rodinia by Fitting Neoproterozoic Continental Margins (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781496029928)

Reconstructions of Phanerozoic tectonic plates can be closely constrained by lithologic correlations across conjugate margins by paleontologic information, by correlation of orogenic belts, by paleomagnetic location of continents, and by ocean floor magmatic stripes. In contrast, Proterozoic reconstructions are hindered by the lack of some of these tools or the lack of their precision. To overcome some of these difficulties, this report focuses on a different method of reconstruction, namely the use of the shape of continents to assemble the supercontinent of Rodinia, much like a jigsaw puzzle. Compared to the vast amount of information available for Phanerozoic systems, such a limited approach for Proterozoic rocks, may seem suspect. However, using the assembly of the southern continents (South America, Africa, India, Arabia, Antarctica, and Australia) as an example, a very tight fit of the continents is apparent and illustrates the power of the jigsaw puzzle method.

Author: U. S. Department of the Interior
ISBN-10: 1496029925
ISBN-13: 9781496029928
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Language: English
Published: 03/04/2014
Pages: 100
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.56lbs
Size: 11.02h x 8.50w x 0.21d