The Evolution of the Geothermal Gradient from Lambert Graben and Mahanadi Basin – A Contribution to the Indo-Antarctic Rift Debate

The East Antarctic Lambert Graben and the Indian Mahanadi Basin are considered to represent segments of an intra-Gondwanan rift structure that was active at least since the Paleozoic. Fission track analyses of apatites from a comprehensive data set across the shoulders of both grabens were used to compare their low temperature history, and to estimate the paleo-geothermal gradients before the onset of the last denudation/rifting stage (Late Jurassic). The paleo-geothermal gradients of both juxtaposed Gondwana margins similarly increase from the basement towards the respective rift shoulder from 15–20°Ckm−1 to 25–30°Ckm−1. This trend of increasing paleo-geothermal gradients, together with a denudation episode commencing in the Early Cretaceous and coeval igneous activity, indicates a common rifting stage accompanying the breakup of Gondwana in the India-Antarctica sector.