Rapid change in drift of the Australian plate records collision with Ontong Java plateau

Kurt M. Knesel (), Benjamin E. Cohen (), Paulo M. Vasconcelos and David S. Thiede
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Kurt M. Knesel: Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
Benjamin E. Cohen: Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
Paulo M. Vasconcelos: Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
David S. Thiede: Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia

Nature, 2008, vol. 454, issue 7205, 754-757

Abstract: The advance of the Australian plate Earth's largest and thickest oceanic plateau, the Ontong Java plateau, is currently colliding with the Australian plate, but it has been difficult to date the start of this momentous event with much accuracy. Now a team from the University of Queensland presents strong evidence for a collision starting about 26 million years ago. The dating comes from geochronological data on hotspot volcanoes in the Tasman Sea, east of Australia, which reveal a link between collision of the plateau with the Melanesian arc and motion of the Australian plate. The timing and brevity of this collisional event correlate well with offsets in hotspot seamount tracks in the Pacific, including the archetypal Hawaiian chain, suggesting that immense oceanic plateaus, like Ontong Java, can contribute to initiating rapid change in plate boundaries and motions on a global scale.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07138

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