Abstract
The Permo-Carboniferous glacigenic sediment at the base of the Gondwanan basins reflects the culmination1,2 of the glacial episode that started in Australia and southern South America in the Namurian, after two local episodes in northern South America and adjacent Africa in the Visean and latest Devonian3 (Fig. 1). Here we show that the start of each episode was associated with orogenic uplift of the bordering regions: northern South America and adjacent Africa in the latest Devonian and Visean, and southern South America and eastern and central Australia in the Namurian. All areas, except southern South America in the Namurian, were at mid- (and not high) latitudes. Thus, we show that whereas the first order control of glaciation was the configuration of the continents and oceans during the closing of Palaeo-Tethys, orogenesis provided a second order control by the accumulation of ice about bordering uplifts during the three glacial episodes.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Frakes, L. A. Climates Throughout Geologic Time (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1979).
Crowell, J. C. Am. J. Sci. 278, 1345–1372 (1978).
Caputo, M. V. & Crowell, J. C. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 96, 1020–1036 (1985).
Schmidt, P. W., Embleton, B. J. J., Cudahy, T. J. & Powell, C. McA. Tectonics 5, 135–150 (1986).
Morel, P. & Irving, E. J. Geol. 86, 535–561 (1978).
Goleby, B. R. J. Geomagn. Geoelect. Suppl. III 32, 11–21 (1980).
Harrington, H. J. in Encyclopedia of World Regional Geology, Part 1, Western Hemisphere (ed. Fairbridge, R. W.) 456–465 (Dowden, Hutchison & Ross, Stroudsburg, 1975).
Lecorche, J.-P. in Regional trends in the geology of the Appalachian-Caledonian Hercynian Mauritanide Orogen (ed. Schenk, P. E.) 347–353 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1983).
Martinez Diaz, C. (ed.) The Carboniferous of the World, II (Inst. Geol. y Minero de Espana, 1985).
Campbell, K. S. W. J. Paleont. 36, 38–52 (1962).
Hambrey, M. J. & Harland, W. B. (eds) Earth's Pre-Pleistocene Glacial Record (Cambridge University Press, 1981).
Roberts, J. Lethaia 14, 123–134 (1981).
Runnegar, B. & Campbell, K. S. W. Earth Sci. Rev. 12, 235–257 (1976).
Campbell, K. S. W. & McKellar, R. G. in Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Essays in Honour of Dorothy Hill (ed. Campbell, K. S. W.) 77–119 (Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1969).
Crowell, J. C. & Frakes, L. A. J. geol. Soc. Aust. 17, 115–155 (1971).
Powell, C. McA. Geology 12, 546–549 (1984).
Jones, B. G. J. geol. Soc. Aust. 19, 229–249 (1972).
Wells, A. T. & Moss, F. J. Bull. Bur. Miner. Resour. Geol. Geophys. Aust. 212, (1983).
Powell, C. McA. & Veevers, J. J. in Phanerozoic Earth History of Australia (ed. Veevers, J. J.) 348–350 (Clarendon, Oxford, 1984).
Grindley, G. W. & Oliver, P. J. in Antarctic Earth Science (eds Oliver, R. L., James, P. R. & Jago, J. B.) 133–139 (Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 1983).
Dalmayrac, B., Laubacher, G., Marocco, R., Martinez, C. & Tomasi, P. Geol. Rdsch. 69, 1–21 (1980).
Ramos, V. A. 9th Congreso Geol. Argentino Actas 2, 311–325 (1984).
Ramos, E. D. & Ramos, V. A. 7th Congreso Geol. Argentino, Actas 1, 771–786 (1979).
Linares, E., Llambias, E. & Latorre, C. O. Revta Asoc. geol. Argent. 35, 87–146 (1980).
Azcuy, C. L., Cesari, S. N. & Longobucco, M. I. Ameghiana 38, 11–28 (1981).
Gonzalez, C. R. in Tills and Related Deposits (eds Evenson, E. B., Schuchter, C. & Rabassa, J.) 271–277 (Balkema, Rotterdam, 1983).
Frakes, L. A. & Crowell, J. C. Geol. Soc Am. Bull. 80, 1007–1042 (1969).
Veevers, J. J. & Powell, C. McA. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. (in the press).
Ross, C. A. & Ross, J. R. P. Geology 13, 27–30 (1985).
Fischer, A. G. in Catastrophes and Earth History (eds Berggren, W. A. & van Couvering, J. A.) 129–150 (Princeton University Press, 1984).
Braakman, J. H., Levell, B. K., Martin, J. H., Potter, T. L. & van Vliet, A. Nature 299, 48–50 (1982).
Powell, C. McA., Johnson, B. D. & Veevers, J. J. Tectonophysics 63, 13–29 (1980).
Klootwijk, C. T., Conaghan, P. J. & Powell, C. McA. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 75, 167–183 (1985).
Irving, E. J. geophys. Res. 71, 6025–6051 (1966).
Harland, W. B. et al. A Geologic Time Scale (Cambridge University Press, 1982).
McBride, S. L., Caelles, J. C., Clark, A. H. & Farrar, E. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 29, 373–383 (1976).
Armstrong, R. L. & Stewart, A. J. J. geol. Soc. Aust. 22, 103–115 (1975).
Black, L. P. & Gulson, B. L. BMR J. Aust. Geol. Geophys. 3, 227–232 (1978).
Shaw, S. E., Flood, R. H. & Riley, G. H. J. geol. Soc. Aust. 29, 41–48 (1982).
Wyborn, D. & Owen, M. Bur. Miner. Resour. Geol. Geophys. Aust. 1:100,000 Geological Map Series, Araluen, New South Wales, Sheet 8826 (1983).
Powell, C. McA., Cole, J. P. & Cudahy, T. J. J. struct. Geol. 7, 281–300 (1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Powell, C., Veevers, J. Namurian uplift in Australia and South America triggered the main Gondwanan glaciation. Nature 326, 177–179 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/326177a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/326177a0
This article is cited by
-
Integrative Carboniferous stratigraphy, biotas and paleogeographical evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas
Science China Earth Sciences (2024)
-
The effect of present day in situ stresses and paleo-stresses on locating sweet spots in unconventional reservoirs, a case study from Moomba-Big Lake fields, Cooper Basin, South Australia
Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology (2013)
-
Gondwanaland's seasonal cycle
Nature (1987)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
