Early Paleozoic tectonism within the East Antarctic craton: The final suture between east and west Gondwana?

New U-Pb SHRIMP ages from East Antarctica point to the existence of a later ally continuous orogenic belt that bisects the East Antarctic craton, This orogenic belt juxtaposes Archean crust to the south and east against Neopro terozoic metamorphic rocks to the north and west. It defines the margin of a separate lithospheric block that consists of a large section of East Anta rctica and India that did not form part of east Gondwana or Rodinia as they are currently reconstructed. Instead, this Indo-Antarctic continent accret ed with west Gondwana along the Mozambique suture shortly before collision and suturing along a second "Pan-African" suture now cropping out in the so uthern Prince Charles Mountains and Prydz Bay regions of Antarctica. This s cenario is consistent with (1) the abrupt termination of ca. 990-900 Ma tec tonism recognized in the northern Prince Charles Mountains-Rayner Complex-E astern Chats against Paleozoic orogenic belts, (2) the lack of terranes of equivalent age found elsewhere in either Antarctica or other previously adj acent continents, and (3) the distinct detrital-zircon populations obtained from either side of this proposed suture.