Abstract
In the Central Western Carpathians (CWC), most published paleomagnetic results from Permo-Mesozoic rocks document extensive remagnetizations and come from thin-skinned thrust units that have undergone multistage deformation. We present results from lower Triassic redbeds from the autochthonous cover overlying the basement that carry a primary magnetization. Petromagnetic results indicate that the dominant ferromagnetic carrier is hematite, while magnetic susceptibility and its anisotropy are controlled by both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic minerals. Magnetic fabrics document weak deformation related to Late Cretaceous shortening. The directions of the high unblocking temperature remanence components pass both reversal and fold tests, attesting to their primary nature. Paleomagnetic inclinations are flatter than expected from reference datasets, suggesting small latitudinal separation between the CWC and stable Europe. Paleomagnetic declinations are mostly clustered within individual mountain massifs, implying their tectonic coherence. They show only minor differences between the massifs, indicating a lack of significant vertical-axis tectonic rotations within the studied central parts of the CWC. The paleomagnetic declinations are therefore representative of the whole of the CWC in terms of regional paleogeographic interpretations, and imply moderate counterclockwise rotations ( c . 26°) of the region with respect to stable Europe since the Early Triassic.
Highlights
Paleomagnetism is a useful method of studying mountain chains, as it provides valuable data on both the paleogeographic position of the large crustal units amalgamated as a result of orogenic processes, as well as the kinematics of smaller tectonic units such as thrust-sheets or fault-bounded blocks
We focused on the Central Western Carpathians (CWC) unit, which forms the largest part of the Western Carpathians and constitutes a fragment of the Alcapa terrane (Fig. 1 and Section 1)
We hoped to determine if the CWC was rotated relative to stable Europe, which is key to understanding the regional paleogeographic evolution of this part of central Europe
Summary
Paleomagnetism is a useful method of studying mountain chains, as it provides valuable data on both the paleogeographic position of the large crustal units amalgamated as a result of orogenic processes, as well as the kinematics of smaller tectonic units such as thrust-sheets or fault-bounded blocks. Samples for paleomagnetic studies have been collected from the Lower Triassic sandstones of the Lúžna Formation in the Low Tatra, Great Fatra and Strážov Mountains where these rocks lie usually directly on the Variscan crystalline basement (Permian sediments are known only from isolated outcrops).
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