Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Tasmanides of eastern Australia, together with adjoining Antarctica and Zealandia, represent a major Phanerozoic convergent-margin system. Despite extensive study, detailed numerical plate models for this region remain limited, constraining continental-scale synthesis and hindering reconstruction-driven numerical studies (e.g., climate, landscape evolution, mineral prospectivity, and mantle convection).
We present a kinematically refined numerical reconstruction of the Tasmanides and their East Gondwanan connections from 580–250 Ma, tying into existing 250–0 Ma reconstructions and embedded within a global GPlates model. The preferred model is informed by a substantial collation of published geological, geophysical, and isotopic datasets, spanning ~113,000 data points across ~12,000 samples.
Key events include diachronous Cambrian convergence initiation, an exotic New England Arc, Van Dieland-New England collision (~514 Ma), Van Dieland-Gondwana collision (~500Ma), Charters Towers-Gondwana collision (~460 Ma), emplacement of the allochthonous East Lachlan via oblique subduction (430–390 Ma) driving Thomson oroclinal curvature, and New England orocline formation during rollback and transpression (330–270 Ma).
0:00 - Introduction
3:00 - Seminar
The Tasmanides of eastern Australia, together with adjoining Antarctica and Zealandia, represent a major Phanerozoic convergent-margin system. Despite extensive study, detailed numerical plate models for this region remain limited, constraining continental-scale synthesis and hindering reconstruction-driven numerical studies (e.g., climate, landscape evolution, mineral prospectivity, and mantle convection).
We present a kinematically refined numerical reconstruction of the Tasmanides and their East Gondwanan connections from 580–250 Ma, tying into existing 250–0 Ma reconstructions and embedded within a global GPlates model. The preferred model is informed by a substantial collation of published geological, geophysical, and isotopic datasets, spanning ~113,000 data points across ~12,000 samples.
Key events include diachronous Cambrian convergence initiation, an exotic New England Arc, Van Dieland-New England collision (~514 Ma), Van Dieland-Gondwana collision (~500Ma), Charters Towers-Gondwana collision (~460 Ma), emplacement of the allochthonous East Lachlan via oblique subduction (430–390 Ma) driving Thomson oroclinal curvature, and New England orocline formation during rollback and transpression (330–270 Ma).
0:00 - Introduction
3:00 - Seminar
