Considerations on the Variscides of Romania

Abstract

From the proposed analysis of two geotraverses, Moesian Platform – South Carpathians and East European Platform – East Carpathians – Apuseni Mountains, it seems that the south-eastern boundary of the Variscan orogen coincided with the present south-eastern boundary of the Alpine orogen. A corollary of this fact could be that the Palaeozoic basement of the Carpathian foreland played the same role of foreland at the time of the Variscan orogeny. Herefrom, the polarity of the Variscides on which the Carpathians are built may be inferred. The mafic initial tension magmatism of the Variscan orogeny was manifested from the Silurian up to the Early Carboniferous in the present territory of the Carpathian orogen. This magmatism became bimodal in the Early Carboniferous. An exclusively acid character of this Early Carboniferous magmatism occur only in the Northern Poiana Ruscă and in the Rapolt massif. In the relative hinterland of the Variscides underlying the Carpathian orogen, an internal zone of carbonatic-platform formations of Devonian and Carboniferous age can bе outline.