Several important tectonic episodes stand out in Gondwana's major and micro
plate motions: (1) Gondwana assembly; (2) the general movement of Gondwana
towards higher latitudes in the Palaeozoic; (3) the influence of terranes o
n Gondwana Mesozoic break-up motions; and (4) Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrane mot
ion along Gondwana's convergent margins. Current palaeomagnetic data indica
te that the various fragments of Gondwana were assembled between similar to
900 and similar to 500 Ma. After assembly, the East Gondwana portion of Go
ndwana moved from more equatorial latitudes in the Early Palaeozoic into mu
ch higher latitudes by the Late Palaeozoic, whereas that of West Gondwana w
as the opposite. This overall motion and concomitant climatic change had a
profound influence on the palaeoevolution of different Gondwana faunas and
floras in the Palaeozoic. During the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic, convergence a
long the Gondwana margin resulted in accretion of various microplates. By t
he Early to Mid-Jurassic, palaeomagnetic data suggest that terrane motion a
long the palaeo-Pacific margin of Gondwana was related to the initial break
-up of the supercontinent. This motion, especially in West Antarctica and N
ew Zealand, caused the intermittent occurrence of palaeoseaways and landbri
dges between East and West Gondwana. In the Tertiary, collision of India an
d Africa with Eurasia caused significant local rotations associated with re
gional deformation. ((C)) 1999 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserve
d.