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Revised continental fit of Australia and Antarctica

Abstract

I HAVE already presented a morphological reconstruction of the continental fragments of Gondwanaland in the southwestern Pacific1. The reassembly was based on the computer-generated fits of Australia and Antarctica2,3 (which match the 1,000–fathom and 500–fathom isobaths). The method used in each case2,3 is a ‘least squares’ geometric fit of the selected isobath. Another fit has recently been proposed4, for this fit an instantaneous rotation pole is determined from fracture zones, at 10.8° N, 32.2° E, but the Australia–Antarctica fit is based on a ‘least squares’ geometric pole at 6° S, 40.5° E. I suggest that all of these fits may be in error by about 250 km, as present-day isobaths only define poorly the predrift continental edges.

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GRIFFITHS, J. Revised continental fit of Australia and Antarctica. Nature 249, 336–338 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249336a0

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