Challenging Our Global Tectonic Myths

James Maxlow
Terrella Consultants, Perth, Australia

New global tectonic crustal reconstructions of the entire 4,600 million years of our Earths' geological history are presented. In contrast to conventional plate tectonics these new reconstructions use modern geological, geophysical, and geographical evidence to demonstrate that the formation and break-up of the Mediterranean region, and similarly each of the continents and oceans, is simple, progressive and evolutionary. On these reconstructions the ancient magnetic poles and equators are precisely located and are shown to coincide with observed climate zones and biotic evidence. Faunal and floral species evolution is shown to be intimately related to this progressive continental break-up and oceanic crustal development. Global extinction events coincide with climate and sea-level changes, and the distribution of metals and hydrocarbon occurrences are readily comprehended. Geographical and biogeographical data quantify the location of all palaeopoles and palaeoequators determined from palaeomagnetic data. Published coastal geography shows that large, inferred, Panthallassa, Tethys and Iapetus Oceans are not required during reconstruction. Instead, these oceans are replaced by epi-continental Panthallassa, Iapetus, and Tethys Seas, which represent precursors to the modern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and Eurasian Mediterranean region. Emergent land surfaces during the Precambrian and Phanerozoic equate precisely with the conventional Rodinian, Gondwanan, and Pangaean supercontinents and smaller sub-continents, and demonstrate an evolving continental development throughout Earth history. Supercontinent configuration is then defined by progressive crustal extension within epi-continental sedimentary basins and rift zones, by pulsed orogenesis, eustatic and transgressive-regressive sea level change, and continental break-up and opening of the modern oceans during the Mesozoic to Recent.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90072 © 2007 AAPG and AAPG European Region Conference, Athens, Greece