The Proterozoic supercontinent Rodinia: paleomagnetically derived reconstructions for 1100 to 800 Ma

• Published in: Earth and planetary science letters Vol. 154; no. 1; pp. 13 - 24
• Main Authors: Weil, Arlo B, Van der Voo, Rob, Mac Niocaill, Conall, Meert, Joseph G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 1998
• Subjects: continental drift; paleomagnetism; reconstruction; upper Proterozoic; continental drift; reconstruction; paleomagnetism; upper Proterozoic
• ISSN: 0012-821X; 1385-013X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0012-821X(97)00127-1

Well-dated paleomagnetic poles for the interval 1100–800 Ma have been compiled for the Laurentia, Baltica, São Francisco, Congo and Kalahari cratons in order to construct apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) for this interval. Laurentia's APWP consists of a well-determined Keweenawan track for 1100–1000 Ma and a 1000–800 Ma Grenville loop. We use a counterclockwise APW loop for the Grenville poles based on ages for post-metamorphic cooling through ∼500°C for the Grenville Province between 1000 and 950 Ma, and the temporal and spatial similarities with Proterozoic counterclockwise APWP's for other cratons. Baltica's APWP is comprised of seven dated poles that define a similar loop, counterclockwise and hinged at 950 Ma, that can be superimposed on the Laurentian Grenville loop. This loop is also seen in the seven poles of the APWP for the combined São Francisco–Congo craton; superposition of these loops leads to a reconstruction in which the São Francisco–Congo craton is to the south-southeast of Laurentia in present-day coordinates. A long 1090–985 Ma APWP track for the Kalahari is in reasonable agreement with the roughly coeval Keweenawan track, when the Kalahari craton is rotated ∼40° counterclockwise away from the Congo craton while remaining hinged at the Zambezi belt. The resulting Rodinia reconstruction resembles those previously proposed on geological grounds for Laurentia, East Gondwana, Baltica, São Francisco–Congo, and the Kalahari craton.