Age and grade of metamorphism in the eastern Monts de Lacaune – implications for the collisional accretion in Variscan externides (French Massif Central)

Abstract

The Monts de Lacaune belong to the south-eastern (external) part of the French Massif Central. They constitute the lowermost unit in the Albigeois Nappe Pile, which is juxtaposed to the S against the gneiss dome (“Zone Axiale”) of the Montagne Noire. The Monts de Lacaune are composed of Cambrian to Silurian sediments, which show very low-grade metamorphic conditions. A multi-method investigation of phyllosilicates (illite and chlorite crystallinity, b cell dimension, K-Ar dating of fine fractions and electron microprobe analysis) permits to distinguish three metamorphic events: M1 (acquired during early folding and nappe stacking, 342-333 Ma), M2 (caused by the rise of the hot Zone Axiale) and M3 (probably caused by post-Variscan intrusions, Permian). The age range obtained for the nappe stacking is intermediate between deformation ages dated in the northern part of the Albigeois Nappe Pile and in the Southern Palaeozoic Nappes (southern Montagne Noire). This conforms to the classical concept of S-ward propagating tectonic accretion in the French Massif Central with a rate of shortening of c. 1.5 cm/year.