Siberian paleomagnetic data and the problem of rigidity of the Northern Eurasian continent in the post-Paleozoic

Abstract

The Meso-Cenozoic paleomagnetic poles from the Siberian platform and its folded margins, which comply with the modern technical and methodological standards, are analyzed. The analysis suggests the following conclusions. (1) The geometrical relationship between the Permo-Triassic poles of the Stable Europe and Siberian Platform prohibits the possibility of relative displacements of these platforms in the post-Paleozoic time. (2) The Mesozoic paleomagnetic poles of the Siberian Platform support the hypothesis of rigid Northern Eurasia. (3) The paleolatitudes of the Mesozoic sections located on the folded margins of the Siberian Platform closely agree with the Apparent Polar Wandering Path (APWP) for Europe. (4) The available data indicate that the vertical-axis rotation of separate local blocks within the folded margins of the Siberian Platform was a widespread phenomenon. Therefore, (1) the modern paleomagnetic data quite certainly show that consolidation of the Northern Eurasian continent was completed by the end of Permian, and, since the very beginning of the Mesozoic, the Siberian and East-European platforms have been parts of a single rigid megablock. (2) The Meso-Cenozoic segment of the APWP for Europe can be used as reference for the Siberian platform.