Abstract
A new tectonic interpretation of southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and north Victoria Land, Antarctica, is given, in which a major N‐S trending lineament, representing a suture zone, is recognized separating essentially shallow water shelf and continental deposits of latest Cambrian or Early Ordovician age from deeper water Ordovician flysch deposits. Lateral offset of this lineament, which is interpreted as a suture along which thrust telescoping and major strike‐slip faulting occurred, could adequately explain the present distribution of major rock types in the three areas and also removes a number of problems previously encountered in correlation.