Geodynamic evolution of the SW Europe Variscides
Abstract The early evolution of SW Europe Variscides started by opening of the Rheic ocean at 500 Ma, splitting Avalonia from Armorica/Iberia. Subduction on the SE side of Rheic generated the Paleotethys back-arc basin (430–390 Ma, splitting Armorica from Iberia), with development of Porto-Tomar-Fer...
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| Outros Autores: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | article |
| Idioma: | eng |
| Publicado em: |
2010
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| Assuntos: | |
| Texto completo: | http://hdl.handle.net/10174/2215 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Oai: | oai:dspace.uevora.pt:10174/2215 |
| Resumo: | Abstract The early evolution of SW Europe Variscides started by opening of the Rheic ocean at 500 Ma, splitting Avalonia from Armorica/Iberia. Subduction on the SE side of Rheic generated the Paleotethys back-arc basin (430–390 Ma, splitting Armorica from Iberia), with development of Porto-Tomar-Ferreira do Alentejo (PTFA) dextral transform defining the boundary between continental Armorica and Finisterra microplate to the W. Obduction of Paleotethys was followed by Armorica/Iberia collision and emplacement of NW Iberian Allochthonous Units at 390–370 Ma, whereas toward the west of PTFA, there was antithetic ophiolite obduction (Beja-Acebuches and Rheic ophiolites plus Finisterra continental slices) on top of Ossa-Morena Zone, with simultaneous development of eclogites and orogenic magmatism under a flake–double wedge tectonic regime. Continued convergence (<370 Ma) proceeded by intracontinental deformation, with progressive tightening of the Ibero-Armorican Arc through dextral transpression on the Cantabrian Indentor, from Iberia to Armorica. The proposed model is discussed at the light of the driving mechanism of ‘‘soft plate tectonics.’’ |
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