Plate Reconstructions for Australia and Antarctica

53 million years ago, a major reorganization of the Pacific plate-mantle system occurred. The dataset contains metadata for reconstructions of Australia and Antarctica from the Australian Antarctic Data Centre, last updated in March 2002.

Use Cases

• Analyze plate motion between East and West Antarctica using reconstruction coordinates.
• Model the subduction of the Pacific-Izanagi spreading ridge with temporal and spatial data.
• Solve continental fit problems by comparing Australian and Antarctic plate boundary features.
• Study the initiation of Marianas/Tonga-Kermadec subduction through reconstructed plate positions.

Strengths

• Metadata originates from a national Antarctic data centre (AU_AADC).
• Reconstructions cover a specific major geological event 50-53 million years ago.

Limitations

• No column or sample data information is available.
• Metadata record was last updated over 20 years ago (2002).

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC), Project ASAC 1119.

Time Range

50-53 million years ago (Eocene).

Geography

Australia, Antarctica, Pacific Ocean region.