Rodinia configuration = closed Pacific

[Florian]

There is an interesting paper this week in the journal Geology on the former juxtaposition of Laurentia (North America) Antarctica and Kalahari ca 1100 Ma: Loewy et al (2011) Geology, doi: 10.1130/G32029.1
A news article related to this paper is available at science daily.com, here.

The clue comes from Pb isotope composition. The configuration is in good agreement with auxotectonics-based reconstructions, notably that of Maxlow (see his PhD thesis freely available online).

There is also an interesting discussion about the possibility that Antarctica's Maud orogen represents a continuation of the Greenville orogen.