Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP

Paleogeography can be reconstructed using various crust- or mantle-based reference frames that make fundamentally different assumptions. The various reconstruction models differ significantly in continental paleolongitude, but it has been difficult to assess which models are more valid. We suggest h...

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Main Authors: Mitchell, Ross, Wu, Lei, Murphy, J. Brendan, Li, Zheng-Xiang
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: CHINA UNIV GEOSCIENCES, BEIJING 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL150100133
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90592
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author Mitchell, Ross
Wu, Lei
Murphy, J. Brendan
Li, Zheng-Xiang
author_facet Mitchell, Ross
Wu, Lei
Murphy, J. Brendan
Li, Zheng-Xiang
author_sort Mitchell, Ross
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Paleogeography can be reconstructed using various crust- or mantle-based reference frames that make fundamentally different assumptions. The various reconstruction models differ significantly in continental paleolongitude, but it has been difficult to assess which models are more valid. We suggest here a “LLSVP test”, where an assumed correlation between present-day large low velocity shear-wave provinces and the paleogeography of supercontinent Pangea at breakup ca. 200 million years ago can be used to assess the relative accuracy of published reconstructions. Closest correlations between continental paleolongitude and the African LLSVP are achieved with mantle-based reference frames (moving hotspots and true polar wander), whereas shallower crust-based reference frames are shown to be invalid. The relative success of mantle-based frames, and thus the importance of the depth of reference frame, supports the notion that mantle convection is largely vertical compared to the horizontal plate motion of tectonics.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-905922023-03-23T01:33:26Z Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP Mitchell, Ross Wu, Lei Murphy, J. Brendan Li, Zheng-Xiang Science & Technology Physical Sciences Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Geology Palaeogeography Plate tectonics LLSVPs Reference frames TRUE POLAR WANDER SUPERCONTINENT CYCLES MANTLE STRUCTURE VELOCITY SHEAR CONVECTION DYNAMICS HOTSPOTS TECTONICS PROVINCES Paleogeography can be reconstructed using various crust- or mantle-based reference frames that make fundamentally different assumptions. The various reconstruction models differ significantly in continental paleolongitude, but it has been difficult to assess which models are more valid. We suggest here a “LLSVP test”, where an assumed correlation between present-day large low velocity shear-wave provinces and the paleogeography of supercontinent Pangea at breakup ca. 200 million years ago can be used to assess the relative accuracy of published reconstructions. Closest correlations between continental paleolongitude and the African LLSVP are achieved with mantle-based reference frames (moving hotspots and true polar wander), whereas shallower crust-based reference frames are shown to be invalid. The relative success of mantle-based frames, and thus the importance of the depth of reference frame, supports the notion that mantle convection is largely vertical compared to the horizontal plate motion of tectonics. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90592 10.1016/j.gsf.2019.12.002 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL150100133 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ CHINA UNIV GEOSCIENCES, BEIJING fulltext
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geology
Palaeogeography
Plate tectonics
LLSVPs
Reference frames
TRUE POLAR WANDER
SUPERCONTINENT CYCLES
MANTLE STRUCTURE
VELOCITY
SHEAR
CONVECTION
DYNAMICS
HOTSPOTS
TECTONICS
PROVINCES
Mitchell, Ross
Wu, Lei
Murphy, J. Brendan
Li, Zheng-Xiang
Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title_full Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title_fullStr Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title_full_unstemmed Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title_short Trial by fire: Testing the paleolongitude of Pangea of competing reference frames with the African LLSVP
title_sort trial by fire: testing the paleolongitude of pangea of competing reference frames with the african llsvp
topic Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geology
Palaeogeography
Plate tectonics
LLSVPs
Reference frames
TRUE POLAR WANDER
SUPERCONTINENT CYCLES
MANTLE STRUCTURE
VELOCITY
SHEAR
CONVECTION
DYNAMICS
HOTSPOTS
TECTONICS
PROVINCES
url http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL150100133
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90592