The Late Carboniferous to Late Triassic segment of the apparent polar wander path of Iberia

Abstract

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out at 16 well-dated sites from four areas in central Spain (southeastern Iberian Massif and western Iberian Ranges) in order to constrain the Late Carboniferous to Late Triassic segment of the apparent polar wander path (APWP) of Iberia. 322 samples (218 with useful results) were collected from andesitic rocks at Atienza (287 ± 12 Ma) and from Triassic continental red beds at Molina de Aragon (Anisian-Ladinian), Alcaraz (Ladinian-Carnian), Alcazar de San Juan (Ladinian-Carnian) and Cuevas de Ayllon (Carnian-Norian). Comparison of the palaeomagnetic results from the western Iberian Ranges and from the Iberian Massif indicates that the investigated area of the Iberian Ranges forms part of Stable Iberia. The palaeomagnetic poles obtained in this study and a revision of previous palaeomagnetic data, discarding poles obtained from areas of doubtful stability, show together a gradual and consistent change in latitude and longitude resulting in a coherent segment of the APWP for the Late Carboniferous to Late Triassic time span.