title: Inconsistencies between Pangean reconstructions and basic climate controls.
abstract: The supercontinent Pangea dominated our planet from the Permian into the Jurassic. Paleomagnetic reconstructions have been used to estimate the latitudinal position of Pangea during this 100-million-year period. Atmospheric circulation, recorded by eolian sandstones in the southwestern United States, shows a broad sweep of northeasterly winds over their northernmost extent, curving to become northwesterly in the south: This evidence is consistent with paleomagnetic reconstructions of the region straddling the equator in the Early Permian but is at odds with its northward movement to about 20 degrees N by the Early Jurassic. At least one of the following scenarios must be true: The latitude based on paleomagnetism is incorrect; the interpretation of how winds shaped the dunes is mistaken; the basic climate controls in the Jurassic were different from those of today; or the paleogeographic reconstructions available are insufficient to adequately reproduce the wind fields responsible for dune formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geosciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0340, USA. crowe1@unl.edu
authors.forename: Clinton M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Loope
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Oglesby
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van der Voo
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Broadwater