The drift of the Fennoscandian and Ukrainian Shields during the Precambrian: a Palaeomagnetic analysis

Abstract

A revised Precambrian (2.85−0.6 Ga) Apparent Polar Wander Path (APWP) for the Fennoscandian Shield, based on a new compilation and analysis of data, is presented. In fitting the APW path to successive Grand Mean Palaeomagnetic poles (GMPs), we applied the spherical spline technique originally developed by Jupp and Kent in 1987. The position and orientation of the Fennoscandian Shield during 2.85−0.6 Ga was determined from the GMPs. Major palaeoclimatological findings are used to constrain the palaeomagnetic interpretation of palaeolatitudes. The general drift of Fennoscandia, from relatively high latitudes in the late Archaean-Early Proterozoic to nearly equatorial latitudes in the Middle Proterozoic, correlates with palaeoclimatological indications that a period of cold climate was followed by one of warm climate during this time interval. From the continuous APWP the APW velocities and latitudinal drift velocities of the shield were calculated. An accumulated APW curve was also calculated. The palaeomagnetic data are irregularly distributed and some periods are rather poorly represented. This means that the calculated velocities can sometimes be artifacts of sampling. Late Archaean and Early Proterozoic (2.85−1.90 Ga) data are too sparse to make these calculations meaningful and velocity calculations are therefore restricted to data of 1.90 Ga and younger ages. The accumulated APW curve shows a number of linear segments with varying slopes, indicating sudden changes in drift rate. During the Middle Proterozoic (1.90−1.35 Ga) there was a period when the rate of APW was constant and low and that of latitudinal drift also was low. This pattern changed at ca. 1.35 Ga, and the following Middle-Late Proterozoic period can be described by rapid APW and strongly fluctuating drift velocities. Jotnian rifting and the intrusion of numerous dyke swarms (at ca. 1.25 Ga) correlate with this shift in rate. These changes are attributed to changes in plate configuration. A new database for the Ukrainian Shield is also presented, and GMPs in the 2.32−1.20 Ga range are defined. The database is still inadequate and the comparison of the Ukrainian and Fennoscandian drift histories is therefore tentative. Similarities in position, latitudinal drift and rotation during the Early-Middle Proterozoic are, nevertheless, evident. A close relationship between the shields in this period is consistent with the low APW rate of Fennoscandia, indicating that Fennoscandia may have been part of a larger continent, including the Ukraine, at that time. At ca. 1.2 Ga, the latitudinal position of Ukraine differed significantly from that of Fennoscandia, suggesting that the large shield split up between ca. 1.35 and 1.2 Ga. This would explain the change in APW rate at 1.35 Ga. The subsequent increase in rate was due to a reduction in the size of the shield. The discrepancy in palaeopositions of Fennoscandia and Ukraine at 1.2 Ga led Mikhailova and Kravchenko to suggest a late Precambrian time (1.07−0.57 Ga) for the accreation of Fennoscandia to the East European Platform (EEP). This may be correct as the rate of APW for Fennoscandia decreased in the late Precambrian, reflecting such a consolidation.