Re: NEW ZEALAND'S WONDERFUL LITTLE WORLD

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

Ronald Orenstein wrote:

>  My understanding is that NZ is considered to have broken
> away, not from Australia, but from West Antarctica, with Australia having
> come off East Antarctica, so that there was never a direct connection
> between them (I may have this backwards).

if it's polar, which side is west and which side is east?  Is there a
reference point or landmark?  The current theory seems to be based on
the Greenwich mean line, but do we approximate where that would have
moved from during the break-up of Pangea and later Gondwana land (one
word or two?)or do we make up a new point for each geologic era, or
what?

[Gondwanaland, one word - Chris]

-Betty