African and SE Asian Plays

Seen In a Global
Plate-Tectonic Context

Radim Kolarsky
11 April 2013
 Plate Reconstruction
AfarPermian
Late triangle seen
(~260from SW
mybp)

North
America
ta ins
un
an Mo
isc
lach ia n / Var
Appa

a
Americ
Africa
South

India

Following the Variscan/Hercynian/Appalacchian Orogeny, North America, South America, India and Africa
were fused together. Large mountains stretched from today’s Texas, through New York to Central Europe.
Africa lies entirely in the southern hemisphere. Pre-rift time in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Gondwanaland was roughly C-shaped, with these continents forming the center of the letter C. A proto-
Tethys ocean filled the rest of the letter C.
Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//) Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Early-Mid Triassic (~240 mybp)

North
America

Mnts
. INCIPIENT
chian
A ppala SEAWAY

South
Africa

A m er
India
ica

A seaway begins to open between Africa and India. Syn-rift time in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
NORTH
ATLANTIC
Middle Jurassic (~170 mybp) OPENING
North
America

GULF OF WESTERN
MEXICO INDIAN
OPENING OCEAN
Africa OPENING

Sout
h A
mer
ica
India

Seaway between Africa and India begins to develop into the western Indian Ocean. Syn-
rift time in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Elsewhere, the Gulf of Mexico is opening between North and South America, and the
North Atlantic is opening between North America and Europe.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Late Jurassic (~150 mybp)
North
America
LAMU BASIN

SEAWAY COMPLETELY OPEN

BETWEEN
Africa EAST AFRICA AND INDIA

Sout
h A
mer
ica
India

Australia

Seaway between Africa and India is fully open, the continents are separated, East African
margin begins to take shape. Lamu Embayment is clearly visible.

Post-rift time in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Early Cretaceous (~120 mybp)
North
America

Tethys Ocean
Africa

South Americ
SEAWAY COMPLETELY
OPEN BETWEEN
EAST AFRICA AND INDIA
a
SOUTH ATLANTIC India
BEGINS TO OPEN Australia
FROM S TO N
Antarctica

Africa and India are fully separated, madagascar still attached to Africa.

Elsewhere, South Atlantic begins to open S to N in a zipper-like fashion, forming Angolan,

South American and Falkland basins. Rifting in Equatorial Atlantic area, forming Ghanan,
Ivorian and Brazilian rift basins. India, Australia and Antarctica being to separate.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Late Cretaceous (~90 mybp)
North
America

Tethys Ocean
Africa

Sout
h
Am e
rica a
Indi

MADAGASCAR Australia

Antarctica

Madagascar separates from Africa. India begins to drift north. Eustatic sea level is high,
causing marine transgressions all over the world, forming shallow continental seas.

Elsewhere, the Atlantic seaway is fully open, following the separation of South America
from Africa in the Equatorial Atlantic region. Benue Trough in Nigeria becomes a failed-rift
arm.
Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
K-T (~65 mybp)
North
America
Alpin
e-Ca
Orogerpathian
ny

Tethys
Ocean

South Am
Africa
ia
erica Ind

Australia

Antarctica
Continuing opening of the Equatorial Atlantic causes Africa to move north. This
contributes to the closure of the Tethys Ocean between Africa and Eurasia. The result is
the Alpine-Carpathian orogeny.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Eocene (~50 mybp)
North
America
Alpine-
Carpathian Zag
Orogeny Mn ros
ts.

Ar
ab
ia

ia
Africa

Ind
South
Americ
a

Australia

Antarctica
Africa continues to move north. Alpine-Carpathian orogeny underway, Zagros fold and
thrust belt forms, India-Asia collision begins. Arabia still attached to Africa.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Miocene (~20 mybp)
North
America Alpine
Carpathia-
n
FTB Za
FT gros
B Himalay
an

Ar
FTB

ab
Africa

ia
Sout
h
Ame
rica

Australia

Antarctica
Africa continues to move north. Alpine-Carpathian and Zagros orogenies underway. Foreland basins develop in Europe, Iraq,
Iran. Rifting begins in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and EARS as a response to mantle pluming.

Elsewhere, Himalayan FTB forms as a response to the continent-continent collision of India and Asia. The collision also
causes deformation in Central Asia and SE Asia. Transtensional and transpressional basins form in Thailand and Indonesia
(Andaman Sea, North Sumatra Basin) and Myanmar (Burma Basin). SE Asian “escape tectonics” felt as far as Borneo.
Leading edge of the Australian Plate begins to collide with the Java Trench.
Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Pleistocene (~50 kabp)
North
Alpin
America Carpatheia-
n
FTB Za Him
gro ala
Ar
s FTB yan
ab
ia
Africa

AFAR Pap
South
u
TRIPLE FTB an
JUNCTION
A me r

Australia
ica

Antarctica
Rifting continues in the EARS area. Red Sea, Gulf of Aden form a narrow seaway, seaflor
spreading begins. The 3 rift arms meet in the Afar Triangle. Old Paleozoic/Mesozoic rift
basins in East Africa severed into 2 parts (Somalia and Yemen)

Elsewhere, “indenter tectonics” underway in northern India and in Papua New Guinea.
Alpine-Carpathian, Zagros, Himalayan and Papuan FTBs continue to form.
Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Plate Reconstruction
Present
North Alpin
America Carpatheia-
n Za
FTB Him
FT gros ala
B FTB yan
RED SEA

Africa GULF OF
Pap
South
ADEN u
FTB an
EARS
A me r

Australia
ica

Antarctica
East African rifting underway. East African Rift System (EARS) active.

Plate reconstruction by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc., (http://www.scotese.com//). Obtained from Dr. Ron Blakey, North Arizona University (http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/mollglobe.html)
 Future World (Food For Thought)

Africa will complete its collision with Europe, creating the
Mediterranean Mountains and closing off the Red Sea and Gulf
of Aden Rifts. The East African Rift System (EARS) will become a
failed continental rift and never created a new ocean.
New subduction zones will form along the east coast of the
Americas, in the Indian Oceana nd along the westerns margins
of Antarctica and Australia. Atlantic Ocean will be consumed
underneath the North and South American plates. Australia will
continue its collision with SE Asia.

Continents will fuse into two supercontinents. The northern

one will consist of the Americas, Africa and Eurasia. Africa will
lie entirely north of the Equator. Madagascar will be accreted
back to East Africa.
The Indian Ocean will become a continental sea, trapped
between India, Africa and South America.

Plate models by Chris Scotese, Paleomap Inc.,

(http://www.scotese.com//).