Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-swr86 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-23T18:22:05.308Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The age relationship of igneous activity and continental break-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

R. A. Scrutton
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Summary

The ages of igneous rocks formed at the time of continental break-up indicate that crustal separation begins at, or shortly after, the peak of igneous activity. The present study summarizes and lends support to the conclusions of previous authors on the temporal relationship of igneous activity and continental break-up.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldrich, L. T., Hart, S. R., Tilton, C. R., Davis, G. L., Rama, S. N. I., Steiger, R., Richards, J. R. & Gerken, J. S. 1964. Potassium-argon dates on some samples from Deccan traps. Yb. Carnegie Instn Wash. 63, 336–7.Google Scholar
Amarel, G., Cordani, U. G., Kawashita, K. & Reynolds, J. H. 1966. Potassium-argon dates of basaltic rocks from southern Brazil. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 30, 159–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avery, O. E., Vogt, P. R. & Higgs, R. H. 1969. Morphology, Magnetic Anomalies and evolution of Northeast Atlantic and Labrador Sea—II Magnetics. Trans. Am. Geophys. Un. 50, 184.Google Scholar
Brogan, G. N. 1971. The Geology of the Angola Coast and Continental Margin In Delany, F. M. (Ed.); Geology of the East Atlantic Continental Margin. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 70/ 16. (ICSU/SCOR Symp., Cambridge, 1970.)Google Scholar
Cox, K. G. 1972. The Karroo Volcanic Cycle. J. geol. Soc. Lond. 128, 311–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Creer, K. M. 1970. Review and interpretation of Palaeomagnetic data from the Gondwanic Continents. In Second Gondwana Symposium (C.S.I.R., South Africa, 1970).Google Scholar
Davies, D. 1968. Why did the Seychelles leave India?, Nature, Lond. 220, 1225–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Boer, J. 1968. Palaeomagnetic Differentiation and Correlation of the Late Triassic Volcanic Rocks in the Central Appalachians, Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 79, 609–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickson, G. O., Pitman, W. C. & Heirtzler, J. R. 1968. Magnetic Anomalies in the South Atlantic and Ocean Floor Spreading. j. geophys. Res. 73, 2087–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dietz, R. S. & Holden, J. C. 1970. Reconstruction of Pangaea: Break-up and Dispersion of Continents, Permian to Recent. J. geophys. Res. 75, 4939–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dingle, R. V. & Klinger, H. C. 1971. Significance of Upper Jurassic Sediments in the Knysna Outlier (Cape Province) for Timing of the Break up of Gondwanaland. Nature Phys. Sci. 232, 37–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ewing, J., Hollister, C., Hathaway, J., Paulus, F., Lancelot, Y., Habib, D., Poag, C. W., Luterbacher, H. P., Worstell, P. & Wilcoxon, J. A. 1970. Deep Sea Drilling Project: Leg 11. Geotimes 15, 7, 1416.Google Scholar
Florensov, N. A. 1969. Rifts of the Baikal Mountain Region. Tectonophys. 8, 443–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grasty, R. L. & Wilson, J. T. 1967. Ages of the Florida volcanics and of opening of the Atlantic, Trans. Am. Geophys. Un. 48, 212.Google Scholar
Hallam, A. 1971. Mesozoic Geology and the Opening of the North Atlantic. J. Geol. 79, 129–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hatch, F. H., Wells, A. K. & Wells, M. K. 1971. Petrology of the Igneous Rocks, 12th ed. Thomas Murby, London.Google Scholar
Howchin, W. 1918. The Geology of South Australia. Education Department, Adelaide.Google Scholar
Illies, J. H. & Mueller, St. 1970. Graben Problems. E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuch-handlung, Stuttgart.Google Scholar
Johnson, G. L., Campsie, J., Rasmussen, M. & Dittmer, F. 1972. Mesozoic Rocks from the Labrador Sea. Nature Phys. Sci. 236, 86–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuno, H. 1969. Plateau Basalts. In: Hart, P. J. (Ed.): The Earth's Crust and Upper Mantle. AGU Monograph 13, Washington.Google Scholar
Larson, R. L. & Pitman, W. C. 1972. World-wide Correlation of Mesozoic Magnetic Anomalies, and its implications. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 83, 3645–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
le Pichon, X. L. 1968. Sea-floor spreading and continental drift. J. geophys. Res. 73, 3661–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowell, J. D. & Genik, G. J. 1972. Sea-floor spreading and the Structural Evolution of the Southern Red Sea. Bull. Am. Ass. Petrol. Geol. 56, 247–59.Google Scholar
Maasha, N. & Molnar, P. 1972. Earthquake Fault Parameters and Tectonics in Africa. J. geophys. Res. 77, 5731–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maxwell, A. E., von Herzen, R. P., Hsu, K. J., Andrews, J. E., Saito, T., Percival, S. F., Milov, E. D. & Boyce, R. E. 1970. Deep Sea Drilling in the South Atlantic. Science 168, 1047–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDougall, I. 1961. Determination of the age of a basic igneous intrusion by the Potassium-argon method. Nature, Lond. 190, 1184–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDougall, I. 1963. Potassium-argon age measurements on dolerites from Antarctica and South Africa. J. geophys. Res. 68, 1533–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McElhinney, M. W. 1970. Formation of the Indian Ocean. Nature, Lond. 228, 977–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, D. P. & Sclater, J. G. 1971. Evolution of the Indian Ocean. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 25, 437528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, J. A. 1965. Geochronology and continental drift—the North Atlantic, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 259, 180191.Google Scholar
Miller, J. A. & Brown, P. E. 1963. On the British Tertiary igneous province. Geol. Mag. 100, 381–3.Google Scholar
Rona, P. A. 1970. Comparison of Continental Margins off Eastern North America at Cape Hatteras and Northwestern Africa at Cap Blanc. Bull. Am. Ass. Petrol. Geol. 54, 129–57.Google Scholar
Schneider, E. D. & Johnson, G. L. 1971. Deep Ocean Diapiric Structures. In Delany, F. M. (Ed.): Geology of the East Atlantic Continental Margin. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 70/ 13. (ICSU/SCOR Symp., Cambridge, 1970.)Google Scholar
Siedner, G. & Miller, J. A. 1968. K–Ar age determinations on basaltics rocks from south-west Africa and their bearing on continental drift. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 4, 451–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, A. G. & Hallam, A. 1970. The Fit of the Southern Continents. Nature, Lond. 225, 139–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sowerbutts, W. T. C. 1972. Rifting in Eastern Africa and the Fragmentation of Gondwanaland. Nature Phys. Sci. 235, 435–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Andel, Tj. H. & Shor, G. G. 1964. Marine Geology of the Gulf of California. Mem. Am. Ass. Petrol. Geol. 3.Google Scholar
Veevers, J. J., Jones, J. G. & Tallent, J. A. 1970. Indo-Australian Stratigraphy and the Configuration and Dispersal of Gondwanaland. Nature, Lond. 229, 383–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vine, F. J. & Hess, H. H. 1971. Sea-floor Spreading. In Maxwell, A. E. (Ed.): The Sea, 4. Interscience, New York and London.Google Scholar
Vogt, P. R., Johnson, G. L., Holcombe, T. L., Gilg, J. G. & Avery, O. E. 1971. Episodes of Sea-floor Spreading Recorded by the North Atlantic Basement. Tectonophys. 12, 211–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, C. A. & McKenzie, D. P. 1971. Evolution of the North Atlantic. Nature, Lond. 232, 168–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar