Permo-Triassic rift nucleation in East Antarctica revealed by low-temperature thermochronology

Abstract

The East Antarctic margin (48°-150°E) holds key information on the breakup history of Pangea and Gondwa, yet thermochronological data is scarce compared to its conjugate rifted margins in India and Australia. Here we present apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronology, revealing a pervasive record of late Carboniferous and Permo-Triassic cooling for '5000 km of the East Antarctic margin, coincident with Pangea dispersal and predating Gondwana breakup in the Cretaceous. Inverse thermal history models indicate initial rifting of Gondwana likely started in the Permo-Triassic, leading to the formation of rift basins and cooling of basin margins along the incipient margin. This rifting e..