Australia's Relation To Antarctica

Australia was originally in the Antarctic circle as part of Gondwana, a supercontinent that consisted of Australia, Antarctica, Africa, and South America. It was part of the land and then broke off and slowly moved up to where it is now. New Zealand and the other surrounding islands also came from this same land, but, they broke off to form islands of their own. Because of the greenhouse conditions on the planet at the time of Gondwana, the area, despite being in the Antarctic circle, had no polar icecaps and was able to support both plant and animal life.12
The Australasian lands, which include Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, various Pacific islands, were once all connected.12 Australasia remained attached to Antarctica longer than its Gondwanan neighbors. It is this unique origin and isolation that accounts for the unique variety of species found on the continent.12 …show more content…
The connection between Australia, South America, and the southern tip of Africa can be seen by the similar plants that inhabit the areas, such as the tree-waratahs that can be found both in Australia and in Chile, or the marsupials that can only be found in Australia and parts of South America.12
160 million years ago, Australia was attached to Gondwana and positioned at least partially below the Antarctic circle. 80 million years ago it began to separate and move north and eastward. 45 million years ago it began to separate from Antarctica and New Zealand. The continental plate was completely separate by 40 million years ago, forming the landmasses of Tasmantis (New Zealand and surrounding islands) and Meganesia (Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea).12 Australia moved overall at just the right pace to keep its diversity intact, not moving too fast but just fast enough to avoid the formation of