Open AccessProterozoic East Gondwana: Supercontinent Assembly and Breakup, Special Publication 206
Author(s) -
Meert Joseph G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo370012
Subject(s) - gondwana , supercontinent , rodinia , geology , proterozoic , paleontology , laurentia , craton , paleozoic , tectonics
The Mozambique Belt, which runs the length of eastern Africa, was thought to have formed during the collision of a fully assembled east Gondwana with west Gondwana during the East Africa Orogen (EAO). Subsequent work demonstrated that the elements of the Gondwana super‐continent were distributed along the margins of Laurentia in the antecedent super‐continent of Rodinia. It was quickly recognized that west Gondwana was an amalgam of cratonic elements assembled in the latter part of the Neoproterozoic during the Brasiliano and “Pan‐African” orogenic episodes (ca. 630–500 Ma). East Gondwana was traditionally depicted in Rodinia as a coherent landmass composed of Australia, the East Antarctic eraton, India, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.