Reinterpretation of the North American apparent polar wander curve for the interval 800–1500 Ma

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Authors: Berger, Glenn W., York, Derek
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1980
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Greenland; Pacific
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e80-128; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e80-128

We have reviewed the geochronology of rocks having paleopoles in the interval 800–1500 Ma from North America, Greenland, and the Baltic Shield. The present uncertainties in the acquisition times of the remanent magnitizations allow the construction of a simplified apparent polar wander curve for North America that incorporates Sveconorwegian paleopoles in a Grenville Loop, and that places poles from the El Paso, Stoer Group, and Aillik Bay rocks on the Logan Loop. Furthermore, the sense of motion through poles older than ~ 1.3 Ga is reversed to permit the shortest connection to poles older than 1.6 Ga. As well, the timing and shape of the Hadrynian Track are modified so that it begins in the Atlantic hemisphere at ~ 800 Ma and terminates in the Pacific at ~ 650 Ma, representing a minimum average continental drift rate of ~ 10 cm/year for this interval.