Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean
Aim To evaluate rigorously an influential palaeobiogeographical hypothesis which states that in the Late Cretaceous (until c. 80 Ma) the Kerguelen Plateau provided a terrestrial causeway between East Antarctica and India that, in turn, formed part of a longer overland route between South America and...
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Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/JBI
2009
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x http://hdl.handle.net/10722/151287 |
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ftunivhongkonghu:oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/151287 2023-05-15T13:46:34+02:00 Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean Aitchison, JC Ali, JR 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x http://hdl.handle.net/10722/151287 eng eng Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/JBI United Kingdom Journal of Biogeography http://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-69249168011&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpage Journal Of Biogeography, 2009, v. 36 n. 9, p. 1778-1784 5627795 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x 1365-2699 1784 162128 WOS:000269138000014 0305-0270 9 eid_2-s2.0-69249168011 1778 http://hdl.handle.net/10722/151287 36 Journal of Biogeography. Copyright © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Beelzebufo ampinga Sudamericid Gondwanatherian mammals South America Madagascar Late Cretaceous Landbridge Kerguelen Plateau India Antarctica Abelisaurid dinosaurs Article 2009 ftunivhongkonghu https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x 2023-01-14T15:43:34Z Aim To evaluate rigorously an influential palaeobiogeographical hypothesis which states that in the Late Cretaceous (until c. 80 Ma) the Kerguelen Plateau provided a terrestrial causeway between East Antarctica and India that, in turn, formed part of a longer overland route between South America and Madagascar. Location Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, East Antarctica, India and Madagascar. Methods Palaeogeographical modelling drawing on geological and geophysical data, bathymetric charts and plate tectonic reconstructions. Results During the Late Cretaceous, only small portions of the present-day Kerguelen Plateau were sub-aerial. Additionally, the plateau's north-north-west and south-south-east ends did not directly abut India and Antarctica, but instead were separated by large gaps. Thus, the notion that the two continents were then linked by a land route running the entire length of the edifice is almost certainly incorrect. Main conclusions The currently available physical evidence indicates that the Late Cretaceous southern-continent connection hypothesis, which is based exclusively on biological data, is untenable. Assuming the fossil and/or extant biological records of Madagascar-India are closely related to those of South America, alternative palaeogeographical scenarios need to be explored to explain this conundrum. Overwater dispersal and/or an alternative passage involving a more direct route via Africa (with crossings of the Mozambique Channel and a then appreciably narrower Central Atlantic) should be considered. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. link_to_subscribed_fulltext Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Southern Ocean University of Hong Kong: HKU Scholars Hub East Antarctica Indian Kerguelen Southern Ocean Journal of Biogeography 36 9 1778 1784 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Hong Kong: HKU Scholars Hub |
op_collection_id |
ftunivhongkonghu |
language |
English |
topic |
Beelzebufo ampinga Sudamericid Gondwanatherian mammals South America Madagascar Late Cretaceous Landbridge Kerguelen Plateau India Antarctica Abelisaurid dinosaurs |
spellingShingle |
Beelzebufo ampinga Sudamericid Gondwanatherian mammals South America Madagascar Late Cretaceous Landbridge Kerguelen Plateau India Antarctica Abelisaurid dinosaurs Aitchison, JC Ali, JR Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
topic_facet |
Beelzebufo ampinga Sudamericid Gondwanatherian mammals South America Madagascar Late Cretaceous Landbridge Kerguelen Plateau India Antarctica Abelisaurid dinosaurs |
description |
Aim To evaluate rigorously an influential palaeobiogeographical hypothesis which states that in the Late Cretaceous (until c. 80 Ma) the Kerguelen Plateau provided a terrestrial causeway between East Antarctica and India that, in turn, formed part of a longer overland route between South America and Madagascar. Location Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, East Antarctica, India and Madagascar. Methods Palaeogeographical modelling drawing on geological and geophysical data, bathymetric charts and plate tectonic reconstructions. Results During the Late Cretaceous, only small portions of the present-day Kerguelen Plateau were sub-aerial. Additionally, the plateau's north-north-west and south-south-east ends did not directly abut India and Antarctica, but instead were separated by large gaps. Thus, the notion that the two continents were then linked by a land route running the entire length of the edifice is almost certainly incorrect. Main conclusions The currently available physical evidence indicates that the Late Cretaceous southern-continent connection hypothesis, which is based exclusively on biological data, is untenable. Assuming the fossil and/or extant biological records of Madagascar-India are closely related to those of South America, alternative palaeogeographical scenarios need to be explored to explain this conundrum. Overwater dispersal and/or an alternative passage involving a more direct route via Africa (with crossings of the Mozambique Channel and a then appreciably narrower Central Atlantic) should be considered. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. link_to_subscribed_fulltext |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Aitchison, JC Ali, JR |
author_facet |
Aitchison, JC Ali, JR |
author_sort |
Aitchison, JC |
title |
Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
title_short |
Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
title_full |
Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
title_fullStr |
Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: Tales from a topographical ocean |
title_sort |
kerguelen plateau and the late cretaceous southern-continent bioconnection hypothesis: tales from a topographical ocean |
publisher |
Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/JBI |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x http://hdl.handle.net/10722/151287 |
geographic |
East Antarctica Indian Kerguelen Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
East Antarctica Indian Kerguelen Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
Journal of Biogeography http://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-69249168011&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpage Journal Of Biogeography, 2009, v. 36 n. 9, p. 1778-1784 5627795 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x 1365-2699 1784 162128 WOS:000269138000014 0305-0270 9 eid_2-s2.0-69249168011 1778 http://hdl.handle.net/10722/151287 36 |
op_rights |
Journal of Biogeography. Copyright © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02105.x |
container_title |
Journal of Biogeography |
container_volume |
36 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1778 |
op_container_end_page |
1784 |
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1766244231115964416 |