Nonconventional Pangea reconstructions: new evidence for an expanding Earth

Scalera, G.

doi:10.1016/0040-1951(88)90100-x

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Recent advances in oceanic exploration also have uncovered previously hidden geological features in the west Pacific that are similar both in shape and scale to the western coasts of the Americas (Scalera, 1988, 1990, 1993) (Figs 1–3). As shown in Figs 1 and 2a, the seafloor to the west and south of the Japan–Izu‐Bonin–Mariana trench system are all relatively young Tertiary formations.…”

Section: The Matching Geological Outlinesmentioning

confidence: 98%

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

McCarthy¹

2003

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim To combine analyses of trans-Pacific sister taxa with geological evidence in order to test the hypothesis of the existence of a Panthalassa superocean.Location The study is concerned with taxa, both fossil and extant, from East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America.Methods Phylogenetic and distributional analyses of trans-Pacific biota were integrated with geological evidence from the Pacific and circum-Pacific regions.Results A series of recent biogeographical analyses delineates a zipper-like system of sister areas running up both margins of the Pacific, with each section of western North and South America corresponding to a particular section from East Asia/Australia/New Zealand. These sister areas coincide neatly with a jigsaw-like fit provided by the matching Mesozoic coastlines that bracket the Pacific. Main conclusionsThe young age (<200 Myr) of oceanic crust, the matching Mesozoic circum-Pacific outlines, and a corresponding system of interlocking biogeographical sister areas provide three independent avenues of support for a closed Pacific in the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic. The hypothesis of the existence and subsequent subduction of the pre-Pacific superocean Panthalassa is not only unnecessary, it conflicts with this evidence. Panthalassa-based paleomaps necessitate the invention of dozens of additional hypotheses of species-dependent, trans-oceanic dispersal events, often involving narrow-range taxa of notoriously limited vagility, in order to explain repeated examples of the same biogeographical pattern. Removing the vanished-superocean hypothesis reunites both the matching geological outlines and all the disjunct sister taxa.In brief, what appears to be a multi-era tangle of convoluted, trans-oceanic distributions on Panthalassa-based paleomaps is actually a relatively simple biogeographical pattern that is explainable by a single vicariant event: the opening and expansion of the Pacific.

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Section: The Matching Geological Outlinesmentioning

confidence: 98%

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

McCarthy¹

2003

Journal of Biogeography

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“…5a) shows a regular progression between 2.5 and 82 Ma, with two cusps at 82 and 195 Ma. There was a fast, clear displacement from high to the middle latitudes from the Jurassic to Triassic, linked to some important tectonic events, which can be interpreted in terms of plate tectonics, expanding Earth theory (Scalera 1988(Scalera , 1990 or other frameworks (Chatterjee & Hotton 1992). The African APWP (Fig.…”

Section: African and European Apwpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeomagnetic database: the effect of quality filtering for geodynamic studies

Scalera

Favali

Florindo

1996

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The Global Palaeomagnetic Database (GPMDB), now updated to 1992, contains about 7000 palaeomagnetic data, which are fundamental tools to define regional and global geodynamic models. A software developed at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica allows the selection of data on the basis of space, time, and quality. Six quality classes have been proposed. The African and European Apparent Polar Wander Paths (APWPs) have been computed and the role of the statistical uncertainties is discussed. Some examples from the Tethys Belt have been chosen to demonstrate the effect of the quality filtering in geodynamic studies.

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“…However, what is still lacking in the discussion is clearly the dismissal of changing-radius cartography as a background for the discussion. While the use of precise cartographic methods is preferable but not required to the old-guard palaeontologists, it should be adopted by people -like Jason Ali and Dennis McCarthywho are willing to take part in a debate where maps are highly important, considering that some steps forward have been made since 1933 by Hilgenberg (1933) with careful transfer of the continental outlines among different size globes (Scalera and Braun, 2003), by Owen (1976Owen ( , 1983a with classical non-computerised methods and using specific software by Scalera (1988Scalera ( , 1990Scalera ( , 1993. The effect of the decreasing radius and increasing curvature on the transfer of Pangea to a half radius Earth, is that the Pacific coasts of the continents can strongly change their azimuth direction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To be more exact, Ali cannot reject the McCarthy half-radius Pacific reconstruction because his counterarguments should be developed on a half radius planet (see the Pacific side of Pangea on a 3500 km radius globe in fig. 2a-c; Scalera, 1988). McCarthy ignores the Pangea configuration on the Pacific side of a half-radius globe because he does not handle the appropriate cartography.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fossils, frogs, floating islands and expanding Earth in changing-radius cartography A comment to a discussion on Journal of Biogeography

Scalera

2009

Annals of Geophysics

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In this short note I have tried to make clear the issues surrounding a recent discussion on changing-radius paleobiogeographical problems of the Pacific Ocean biotic distribution. It is stressed that such an important discussion cannot be developed in the absence of proper cartographic methods that must necessarily introduce an increasing radius parameter, highlighting the effects of a changing curvature in the continental/oceanic plates in their movements from a globe of a given radius to a new position on a globe of different radius. Many other aspects of paleogeography, paleomagnetism, paleoclimate can be faced in a new and more open-mind philosophy and considered in a legitimate additional degree of freedom: globe size increasing. The new increasing-radius Cartography can become of fundamental importance for the advancement of science -not only of Earth sciences.

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Nonconventional Pangea reconstructions: new evidence for an expanding Earth

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

Palaeomagnetic database: the effect of quality filtering for geodynamic studies

Fossils, frogs, floating islands and expanding Earth in changing-radius cartography A comment to a discussion on Journal of Biogeography

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Nonconventional Pangea reconstructions: new evidence for an expanding Earth

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

The trans‐Pacific zipper effect: disjunct sister taxa and matching geological outlines that link the Pacific margins

Palaeomagnetic database: the effect of quality filtering for geodynamic studies

Fossils, frogs, floating islands and expanding Earth in changing-radius cartography  A comment to a discussion on Journal of Biogeography

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Fossils, frogs, floating islands and expanding Earth in changing-radius cartography A comment to a discussion on Journal of Biogeography