Antarctica and global paleogeography: from Rodinia, rhrough Gondwanaland and Pangea, to the birth of the Southern Ocean and the opening of gateways

Neoproterozoic Rodinia reconstructions associate East Antarctica (EANT) with cratonic Western Australia. By further
linking EANT to both Gondwana and Pangea with relative
plate circuits, a Synthetic Apparent Polar Wander (SAPW)
path for EANT is calculated. This path predicts that EANT
was located at tropical to subtropical southerly latitudes from
ca. 1 Ga to 420 Ma. Around 400 Ma and again at 320 Ma,
EANT underwent southward drift. Ca. 250 Ma Antarctica
voyaged briefly north but headed south again ca. 200 Ma.
Since 75 Ma EANT became surrounded by spreading centers
and has remained extremely stable. Although paleomagnetic
data of the blocks that embrace West Antarctica are sparse,
we attempt to model their complex kinematics since the
Mesozoic. Together with the SAPW path and a revised
circum-Antarctic seafloor spreading history we construct a
series of new paleogeographic maps.