The Devonian - Permian APWP for the West Sudetes, Poland

Abstract

The paper presents the Apparent Polar Wander Path (APWP) for the West Sudetes for the period from Devonian to Carboniferous. The data used for construction of the path comprise paleomagnetic poles computed using primary and secondary components of magnetization for the numerous Sudetic tectonic units. The Sudetic APWP was compared with the Baltica APWP. The Sudetic curve was located a slightly northward from Baltica curve during the Devonian - Carboniferous time and deviated eastward at about 300 Ma. During the course of Upper Carboniferous-Lower Permian the Sudetic curve approaches the Baltica one. The position of Sudetic APWP in relation to Baltica APWP is a result of a movement of the Sudetes to the east. The movement started in Carboniferous (?) and ceased at the end of Permian. This can be a documentation of a final docking of Europe into Baltica during the Permian time. The previous position of the Sudetes can be found by fitting the Sudetic curve to the Baltica one by the clockwise rotation of about 12° around the Euler pole of 80°N; 30°E. The reconstruction of the pre-Permian location of the Sudetes implies that during the Devonian time they laid westward Baltica. Such scenario is based only on paleomagnetic data whereas geological evidence points to earlier Carboniferous time of consolidation.