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Iapetus Ocean. Presented by Christina Hurley. Introduction. What When How Closer Evidence Conclusion. What?. Ancient ocean located between Laurentia and Baltica Precursor of Atlantic Ocean Iapetus = Greek titan, father of Atlas Atlantic Ocean named after Atlas. When?.
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Iapetus Ocean Presented by Christina Hurley
Introduction • What • When • How • Closer • Evidence • Conclusion
What? • Ancient ocean • located between Laurentia and Baltica • Precursor of Atlantic Ocean • Iapetus = Greek titan, father of Atlas • Atlantic Ocean named after Atlas
When? • Dates range from ~500-750 mya • Most agree on 750 mya for when it opened
How? • Laurentia and Baltica were part of Rodinia • Suture zone between the two land masses became weak • Upswelling caused rifting
Everything comes to an end • Wilson Cycle • pulling turned into compression • Island arcs formed • Taconian Orogeny • Island arcs thrust upon Laurentia • Formed New England and Appalachian Mountains
Did it really exist? • Huff • people said it never existed • North and South America used to be next to each other – no room for Iapetus • Ash beds and fossils prove it • Studied the ash beds, do not correlate • Composition changed • Indicates moving around • Fossils came from same area • Piece broke off and relocated with South America
Rankin • Studied Appalachian Mountains • Piedmont province • Pieces of Africa – evidence of suturing and ripping apart • Bends in mountains • Evidence of triple junctions • 5 bends show possible triple junctions affected by hot plumes of magma • 2 southwestern Virginia; 1 southeastern New York; 1 southern Quebec
Conclusion • Iapetus Ocean formed 750 mya when Rodinia broke up • Wilson Cycle closed it up • Evidence of existence: non-correlating ash beds, pieces of Africa in Appalachian Mountains, bends throughout matching triple junctions of Rodinia