New constraints on the age of the opening of the South Atlantic basin

We have successfully reconstructed the positions of the African and South American margins south of 32°S at M11 time (i.e., ∼135 Ma) using a new rotation pole at 38.86°N, 31.46°W. This pole applies only to the southernmost margins of the Austral segment where M11 is observed. Further north at this time the margins are undergoing non-rigid deformation that includes both crustal extension and magmatic underplating.