The Apparent Polar Wander Path for South America during the Permian-Triassic

Many of the controversies that arise in global reconstructions for Permian-Triassic time could be resolved by taking into account the large latitudinal and counter-clockwise movement of Gondwana during that interval of time. The proper trace of the apparent polar wander curve should differentiate one position for the Early Permian, another position for the Late Permian and yet another for the Triassic. By doing so and comparing the Apparent Polar Wander Paths (APWP) of South America and Africa it is easy to see that both curves have the same shape, therefore it is possible to arrive at a good fit between them, which previous analyses were unable to achieve. This new proposed Permian-Triassic track of the APWP reveals a hook not hitherto recognized that should be accounted for in global reconstructions. (C) 2008 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.