Reconstruction of the Central Indian Ocean

Abstract Sixteen plate tectonic reconstructions are presented illustrating the development of the Central Indian Ocean from the latest Cretaceous (anomaly 29) to the present. The history of seafloor spreading in the Indian Ocean can be divided into five distinct tectonic epochs: 1. (1) latest Cretaceous-Early Paleocene (A29-A27), 2. (2) Middle Paleocene-Early Eocene (A27-A22), 3. (3) Middle Eocene-Late Eocene (A22-A18), 4. (4) Late Eocene-Early Miocene (A18-A8), and 5. (5) Early Miocene-Recent (A8-A5). During each of these tectonic epochs, subtle changes took place in the directions and rates of spreading along the Central, Southeast and Southwest Indian ridges. The most dramatic changes in plate motion occurred between A21 and A18 time due to the collision of India and Eurasia.