Cretaceous Vertical Motion of Australia and the AustralianAntarctic Discordance

A three-dimensional model of mantle convection in which the known history of plate tectonics is imposed predicts the anomalous Cretaceous vertical motion of Australia and the present-day distinctive geochemistry and geophysics of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance. The dynamic models infer that a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Gurnis, Michael, Müller, R. Dietmar, Moresi, Louis
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1998
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.279.5356.1499
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.279.5356.1499
Description
Summary:A three-dimensional model of mantle convection in which the known history of plate tectonics is imposed predicts the anomalous Cretaceous vertical motion of Australia and the present-day distinctive geochemistry and geophysics of the Australian-Antarctic Discordance. The dynamic models infer that a subducted slab associated with the long-lived Gondwanaland-Pacific converging margin passed beneath Australia during the Cretaceous, partially stagnated in the mantle transition zone, and is presently being drawn up by the Southeast Indian Ridge.