‘Hotspots’ reference frame
All the continental movements are shown relative to a number of ‘hotspots’, the position of which is held fixed with respect to the earth’s rotation axis. This gives results that agree overall with paleomagnetic and paleoclimatic information for the period.

Observe in the animation (run in the forward direction so that cause precedes effect!) the position of hotspots with respect to the igneous provinces, new splits (rifts) between continents and between pre-existing blocks of ocean crust. The simultaneous positioning of both the Kerguelen and the Reunion hotspots along the axis of the present spreading ridge at the time of its initiation at 43 Ma may not be coincidental.

The link between Africa and Antarctica
While virtually the whole of the South Atlantic can be ascribed to the steady separation of just two continents, Africa and South America, the Indian Ocean has clearly had a more complex history.

Only a small corridor, shown in brown on the animation, can be described as a product of Africa-Antarctica separation and this forms a key link in unraveling the sequence of events.