Figure 10. Cenozoic plate reconstruction between Arabia (fixed) and India, based on GPlates (version 2.2.0) with a 3D orthographic projection. Eurasia at the present stage is not depicted.
4.5.1 65 to 32.5 Ma
Left-lateral translation was the main relative motion between the Arabian and Indian plates between the beginning of the Cenozoic and ~40 Ma. At 65 and 40 Ma, the reference points at the Indian Plate were set at 3°59ꞌ24ꞌN/61°10ꞌ12ꞌE and 22°29ꞌ30ꞌꞌN/59°49’E, respectively. Thus, India moved ~2165 km towards the NNE between 65 and 40 Ma (average velocity of 86.6 mm/a) with respect to fixed Arabia (Fig. 10).
Between 40 to 32.5 Ma, both plates underwent some divergence with left-lateral translation (~185 km translation of India towards the NE; ~24.67 mm/a; between 40 and 32.5 Ma; Fig. 10). The Indian reference point was set at 23°13ꞌ48ꞌꞌN/68°42ꞌE at 32.5 Ma (Fig. 10). Thus, the relative motion between Arabia and India did not cause any shortening in Oman from 65 to 32.5 Ma.
4.5.2 32.5 Ma to present
Between ~32.5 and 20 Ma, both plates experienced ~100 to 135 km ~E/W-directed convergence owing to a minor ~northward motion and coeval anticlockwise rotation of India (8°; ~0.64°/Ma) with respect to Arabia (~228 km of rotation and translation of India to the NW; ~18.2 mm/a; between 32.5 and 20 Ma; Fig. 11). The Indian reference point was set at 24°54ꞌN/67°21ꞌE at 20 Ma (Fig. 11).