Abstract: The Pinjarra Orogen at the western margin of West Australia has experienced Grenvillian and Pan-African high-grade metamorphism. The tectonic evolution of the orogen is closely related to the amalgamation and breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia and the subsequent formation of the supercontinent Gondwana. This paper summarizes and reviews three major geological events of the Pinjarra Orogen during the Mesoproterozoic–early Paleozoic and discusses their correlations with geological events in the Rayner Orogen of East Antarctica. The three major geological events in the Pinjarra Orogen include: (1) a late Mesoproterozoic magmatic/metamorphic event (1090–1020 Ma), which is related to the global Grenvillian Orogeny with a controversial detailed tectonic setting; (2) a mid-Neoproterozoic magmatic event (780–660 Ma), which has attributes of extension/rifting magmatism and is probably related to the breakup of Rodinia; (3) a late Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic (i.e., Pan-African) geological event (540–520 Ma), which is related to the assembly of East Gondwana. Comparative studies show some differences in the Mesoproterozoic–early Paleozoic geological events between the Pinjarra Orogen and the Rayner Orogen, indicating that these two belts could not have been directly connected into a unified Grenvillian orogenic belt. The Pinjarra Orogen and the intensively reworked Rayner Orogen in Prydz Bay (i.e., the Prydz Belt) underwent a similar late Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic orogenic event, implying a certain relationship between them. However, the absence of a mid-Neoproterozoic magmatic event in Prydz Bay suggests that these two belts also could not have been directly connected. Therefore, the continuation of the Pinjarra Orogen into East Antarctica still remains controversial, and further investigation into this issue is required.

Key words: Grenvillian, Pan-African, geological event, Pinjarra Orogen, West Australia, East Antarctica, Rayner Orogen