Late Permian-Early Jurassic Paleogeography of Western Tethys and the World

We present revised plate tectonic and paleogeographic reconstructions of the western Tethyan region for the time interval between the late Permian (~ 260 Ma) and the early Jurassic (200 Ma), which encompasses the time of the breakup of Pangaea. Three global paleogeographic reconstructions are presented for the latest Permian (Lopingian, ~ 260 Ma), early Late Triassic (Carnian, 230 Ma), and earliest Jurassic (200 Ma). We also present three regional paleogeographic maps of the same time intervals for the Western Tethys region. These regional paleogeographic maps are based on a rigorous self-consistent plate kinematics model and are accompanied by a reconstruction of paleoenvironmental features, such as lowlands, highlands, and salt basins, as well as the distribution of lithofacies (mud, silt, sand, and carbonates). The reconstructions presented here differ from previous plate reconstructions of Western Tethys. The plate model presented here includes a revised compilation of tectonic elements compatible with the observed distribution of subducted lithosphere in the present-day Mediterranean region.