Processes of Arc–Continent Collision in the Uralides

Abstract

The Uralide Orogen of Russia contains well-preserved examples of Paleozoic arc–continent collisions. The Tagil Arc in the Middle Urals formed as an intra-oceanic arc from the Late Ordovician through the Devonian and appears to have collided with the continental margin of Laurussia in the Early Carboniferous. The Magnitogorsk Arc in the South Urals formed in an intra-oceanic setting from the Early Devonian to the Middle Devonian and collided with the margin of Laurussia in the late Middle and through the Late Devonian. The ourcropping geology of the South Urals, together with an extensive geochronological, geochemical, and geophysical dataset allows a detailed reconstruction of the arc–continent collision that took place in this part of the Urals. This reconstruction provides important insights into arc–continent collision processes through time, as well as into the growth and destruction of the continental crust during arc–continent collision.