Reappraisal of the Arabia–India–Somalia triple junction kinematics

We propose alternative kinematics for the Arabia–India–Somalia triple junction based on a re-interpretation of seismological and magnetic data. The new triple junction of the ridge–ridge–ridge type is located at the bend of the Sheba Ridge in the eastern gulf of Aden at 14.5°N and 56.4°E. The Owen fracture zone (Arabia–India boundary) is connected to the Sheba Ridge by an ultra-slow divergent boundary trending N80°E±10° marked by diffuse seismicity. The location of the Arabia–India rotation pole is constrained at 14.1°N and 71.2°E by fitting the active part of the Owen fracture zone with a small circle. The finite kinematics of the triple junction is inferred from the present-day kinematics. Since the inception of the accretion 15–18 Ma ago, the Sheba Ridge has probably receded ∼300 km at the expense of the Carlsberg Ridge which propagated northwestward in the gulf of Aden, while an ultra-slow divergent plate boundary developed between the Arabian and Indian plates. The overall geometry of the new triple junction is very similar to that of the Azores triple junction.