Abstract
Mesozoic hydrothermal systems host the majority of Europe's fluorspar and barite resources as well as significant amounts of metals such as Ag, Co, Zn, Pb, Ni and Cu. Their genetic link to extensional tectonics in conjunction with the opening of the North Atlantic has long been suspected, but their spatial and temporal relation to the tectonic evolution of Europe has remained enigmatic. A thorough evaluation of available geochronological data for fluorite-barite-Pb-Zn, native-metal-arsenide-carbonate and MVT-type mineralization in Continental Europe and North Africa reveals a distinct, as yet unrecognized, time-space relationship between the distribution of hydrothermal mineral systems and the tectonic evolution of the Tethys-Atlantic-Caribbean rift system. The observed time-space relationship and ore-forming mechanisms are evaluated to constrain the underlying driving force for hydrothermal mineralization in the context of the geodynamic evolution of the European lithosphere. Based on this assessment we propose the first continental-scale model for the genesis of Mesozoic hydrothermal ore deposits associated to the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea.
Published Version
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