0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
Pliocene
Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Paleocene
Maastrichtian
Campanian
Santonian
Coniacian
Turonian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
Barremian
Hauterivian
Valaginian
Berriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
Oxfordian
Callovian
Bathonian
Bajocian
Aalenian
Toarcian
Pleistocene
WEISSERT OAE
OAE 1a
OAE 1b
OAE 1c
OAE 1d
OAE 2
Gulf of Mexico
South Atlantic
Opening of circumglobal
Tethyan Seaway
Separation of Laurasia
from Gondwana
Rotation of southern
South America from Africa
opens South Atlantic
Separation of Antarctica-IndiaAustralia from South
America-Africa
Separation of India-Madagascar
from Antarctica
Separation of North America
from Africa
Separation of northern
South America from western
Africa
Separation of Greenland from
North America
(Labrador Sea - Baffin Bay)
Closure of the South Anyui Seaway
isolates the Arctic rom Pacific
Separation of Australia
from Antarctica
Separation of Madagascar
from India
Warm Deep Water
Warm Deep Water
Cold Deep Water
32 34 36 38 40 42
Mediterranean, Red Sea
Toarcian OAE
100
50
0
% of Original Ocean
Area Still Existing
Major Salt
Extractions
Ocean Anoxic Events Seaways
(OAEs)
Salinity (‰)
Area of Ocean Crust
Still Extant (10
6 km
2 )
0
100 200
Transition from Warm
to Cold Deep Water
Opening and Closing of
Interocean Gateways
Plate Tectonic Events
Affecting the Oceans
*
+++++++++++++++++++
Cretaceous-Tertiary
Boundary Event
Opening of Fram Strait
Closure of Central American
Passage from Atlantic to Pacific
Opening of Red Sea Final Closure
of theTethys in the Middle East
Closure of deep ocean passage
between Australia/New Guinea and
southeast Asia Circum-Antarctic
Seaway Opens Opening of Tasman
Gateway between Tasmania and
Antarctica ? Opening of Drake
Passage between South America
and Antarctic Peninsula ?
Separation of Greenland from
Europe (Greenland-Iceland
-Norwegian Sea)
India collides with Asia
closing eastern Tethys
West Siberian Seaway
Tethys Circum-Antarctic seaway
Western Interior Seaway (North America) Trans-African Seaway
Seaways
a
b
c
d
e
Events, Figure 1 Major events in the history of the oceans since 180 Ma.
240
EVENTS
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
Pliocene
Miocene
Oligocene
Eocene
Paleocene
Maastrichtian
Campanian
Santonian
Coniacian
Turonian
Cenomanian
Albian
Aptian
Barremian
Hauterivian
Valaginian
Berriasian
Tithonian
Kimmeridgian
Oxfordian
Callovian
Bathonian
Bajocian
Aalenian
Toarcian
Pleistocene
WEISSERT OAE
OAE 1a
OAE 1b
OAE 1c
OAE 1d
OAE 2
Gulf of Mexico
South Atlantic
Opening of circumglobal
Tethyan Seaway
Separation of Laurasia
from Gondwana
Rotation of southern
South America from Africa
opens South Atlantic
Separation of Antarctica-IndiaAustralia from South
America-Africa
Separation of India-Madagascar
from Antarctica
Separation of North America
from Africa
Separation of northern
South America from western
Africa
Separation of Greenland from
North America
(Labrador Sea - Baffin Bay)
Closure of the South Anyui Seaway
isolates the Arctic rom Pacific
Separation of Australia
from Antarctica
Separation of Madagascar
from India
Warm Deep Water
Warm Deep Water
Cold Deep Water
32 34 36 38 40 42
Mediterranean, Red Sea
Toarcian OAE
100
50
0
% of Original Ocean
Area Still Existing
Major Salt
Extractions
Ocean Anoxic Events Seaways
(OAEs)
Salinity (‰)
Area of Ocean Crust
Still Extant (10
6 km
2 )
0
100 200
Transition from Warm
to Cold Deep Water
Opening and Closing of
Interocean Gateways
Plate Tectonic Events
Affecting the Oceans
*
+++++++++++++++++++
Cretaceous-Tertiary
Boundary Event
Opening of Fram Strait
Closure of Central American
Passage from Atlantic to Pacific
Opening of Red Sea Final Closure
of theTethys in the Middle East
Closure of deep ocean passage
between Australia/New Guinea and
southeast Asia Circum-Antarctic
Seaway Opens Opening of Tasman
Gateway between Tasmania and
Antarctica ? Opening of Drake
Passage between South America
and Antarctic Peninsula ?
Separation of Greenland from
Europe (Greenland-Iceland
-Norwegian Sea)
India collides with Asia
closing eastern Tethys
West Siberian Seaway
Tethys Circum-Antarctic seaway
Western Interior Seaway (North America) Trans-African Seaway
Seaways
a
b
c
d
e
Events, Figure 1 Major events in the history of the oceans since 180 Ma.
240
EVENTS