Cadomian Magmatic Arc Research Articles

From onset of Cadomian subduction to forearc-arc-continent collision: Insights from the Neoproterozoic Calzadilla Metaophiolite (SW Iberia)

ABSTRACT The Cadomian basement of SW Iberian Massif appears in the so-called Ossa-Morena Complex, which contains several allochthonous terranes that are key for deciphering the evolution of the Gondwana margin during the Neoproterozoic. In this context, the Calzadilla Ophiolite represents the remnants of an oceanic Ediacaran lithosphere formed by a boninitic mafic crust that overlies a serpentinized ultramafic section, the latter being the biggest outcrop of Cadomian serpentinites in Europe. In this work, the petrological and geochemical nature of the mantle section is analysed, as well as the tectonothermal evolution of both, the mafic crust and the ultramafic section. The algebraic analysis of whole rock geochemistry of the serpentinites indicates that the protolith corresponds to harzburgite. The geochemical fingerprint of the serpentinites, as well as the primary spinel crystals composition, shows that peridotites underwent high degrees of partial melting (up to 16%) in a forearc setting. Thermodynamic modelling and average PT methods were applied to serpentinites and mafic dykes from the ultramafic section as well as to amphibolites from the mafic section, both of which experienced progradation up to 4–5 kbar and 525–575°C. According to the data, the protoliths of the Calzadilla Ophiolite were formed in a peri-Gondwanan arc system developed during the subduction of oceanic crust below Gondwana. The roll-back of the subducting slab would induce the opening of the forearc basin at c. 602 Ma, protolith age of amphibolites from crustal section, with an extensive partial melting of the mantle wedge and the formation of boninitic-affinity magmas that constitute the mafic section of the Calzadilla Ophiolite. Metasomatism and serpentinization of the mantle wedge would occur via melt- and fluid–rock interactions. A compression-dominated stage at c. 540 led to the emplacement of the Calzadilla Ophiolite onto the Cadomian magmatic arc, with the development of the amphibolite-facies metamorphic imprint.

Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic crustal growth, recycling, and the changing geodynamics of North Gondwana

Understanding crustal growth, reworking, and geodynamics of the northern continental margin of Gondwana during Ediacaran to Silurian times plays an important role in Gondwana's paleogeographic reconstruction. This study uses a combination of bulk-rock geochemistry, magmatic and detrital zircon geochronology, zircon trace element, and O-Hf isotope data to evaluate the Ediacaran-early Paleozoic magmatic history of northern Gondwana. Our detrital zircon data from Ediacaran to Ordovician sedimentary successions of central Iran show that the 620–500 Ma detrital zircon likely originates from the erosion of the Cadomian arcs in Iran and Anatolia. This zircon shows variable εHf(t) and δ18O values and Nb/Yb, U/Yb, and U/Nb, resembling arc rocks. The Cryogenian (1000–620 Ma) detrital zircon with juvenile εHf(t) and mantle-like δ18O values could have been supplied from erosion of the juvenile crust of the ANS. The youngest age peaks of 488–450 Mafor detrital zircon, in upper Cambrian-Ordovician sedimentary rocks, are considered to show the rifting of Gondwana and Paleotethys opening. Abundant unrounded 2.5 Ga detrital zircon from Ediacaran sandstones probably shows uplift and exhumation of a local source, i.e., the Archean crust of Iran. The Neoproterozoic igneous rocks formed firstly during the subduction of oceanic lithosphere (Mozambique Ocean) beneath northern Gondwana around 880 Ma to form the ANS juvenile crust. Later, the magmatism moved from the ANS toward the northern territories of Gondwana, with peak magmatism at 570–525 Ma. In Cambrian to Ordovician, the Cadomian magmatic arc was uplifted and eroded, and the geodynamic setting switched into juvenile magmatism following rifting of northern Gondwana.

Geochronological record of Cadomian exterior orogen reworking in bi-modal igneous protoliths of the Cabo Ortegal Allochthon (NW Iberia): the Cambrian onset of the Palaeozoic plate-tectonic cycle

ABSTRACT New geochemical data and radiometric ages of the protoliths of variably reworked metamafic (granulites and gabbros) and felsic rocks (orthogneisses) from the Cabo Ortegal allochthonous Complex are presented. Their igneous precursors were emplaced in ensialic environments and exhibit geochemical signatures transitional to tholeiitic character, probably originating in arc settings (with continental and oceanic components and minor crustal recycling). The new geochronological results (encompassing the Miaolingian and Furongian epochs of the Cambrian) link the aforementioned scenarios to a Cadomian magmatic arc. The 505Ma protoliths of calc-alkaline orthogneisses and mafic granulites would be the oldest in the sequence of intrusion events. The latter and the 498–486Ma protoliths of gabbros (emplaced in sedimentary host sequences later transformed into Variscan high-pressure and intermediate-pressure gneisses) can be considered as snapshots of the ongoing continental arc evolution. The 498–486Ma gabbro intrusives of these gneisses, together with the 505–503Ma orthogneisses, are ascribable to palaeo-geographically separate scenarios before the Variscan amalgamation of their country rocks. They would expand the initiation of rifting of the Gondwana continental margin to the Miaolingian Cambrian epoch. It is inferred that the Cadomian continental-arc (active at least since 750Ma) experienced in the 510–460Ma interval the consequences of a vanishing active subduction. Certain domains flanking the arc underwent forearc sedimentation and deformation, whereas others were affected by an increasing extension (rifting) and/or back-arc basin formation. The latter marked the initiation of the beginning of a Wilson Cycle, which ended in the late Palaeozoicwith the formation of the Variscan interior orogenic belt.

First evidence for the subduction initiation and boninitic magmatism from the Armutlu Peninsula (NW Turkey): geodynamic significance for the Cadomian magmatic arc system of the Gondwanan margin

ABSTRACT The Cadomian Orogeny was active along the northern margin of Gondwanaland during the Late Neoproterozoic–Early Cambrian period. Remains of this orogenic activity are traced from Western Europe to the Himalayas, including some metamorphic basement rocks of Turkey. In this study, we provide new whole-rock and mineral chemistry, and zircon U–Pb age data for the metagabbro and metagranites in the Armutlu Peninsula, north of the Intra Pontide suture zone (IPSZ), which are the equivalent of the Cadomian basement of the İstanbul Zone (İZ). Geochemically, the metagabbros show an extreme depletion in Nb, Zr, Th, and Hf; low TiO2 contents; and high Mg# values exhibiting boninitic affinity, which are commonly associated with fore-arc settings. The metagranites are calc-alkaline and high-K calc-alkaline in character. They are slightly enriched in LREE and have similar features to shear-type plagiogranites. The yielded zircon U-Pb crystallization ages are 564 ± 4.4 Ma for metagabbros and 561 ± 9.5 Ma (Late Ediacaran) for metagranites. In this study, we provide additional information for the Cadomian basement of the İZ and the geodynamic evolution of Cadomian magmatism by discussing the tectonic setting for two geochemically contrast but almost coeval magmatic products.

Geochronology and geochemistry of exotic blocks of Cadomian crust from the salt diapirs of SE Zagros: the Chah-Banu example

ABSTRACT Cadomian calc-alkaline I-type and within-plate A-type igneous rocks are widespread in the crust of Iran where they are ascribed to a convergent margin associated with the southward subduction of Prototethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath N Gondwana. These rocks are found as unmetamorphosed magmatic rocks and their metamorphic equivalents (mafic to felsic gneisses) could have been generated in both Cadomian arcs and associated rear-arcs. Nearly all these exposures also contain metamorphosed metasediments, whereas Cadomian igneous rocks of central Iran are associated with thick sequences of unmetamorphosed terrigenous rocks. In the Zagros Fold-Thrust belt of S Iran, salt diapirs contain abundant xenoliths of Cadomian igneous and sedimentary rocks in association with evaporites, dolomites, carbonates, and banded iron-salt deposits. This paper presents new zircon U-Pb and geochemical-isotopic data from igneous clasts in the Chah-Banu salt diapir in SE Zagros. Petrographic and geochemical data indicate two different types of rock clasts; calc-alkaline, I-type dacites-rhyolites, and arc-related to E-MORB-OIB-like gabbros, basalts, and dolerites. New zircon U-Pb ages show that dacites formed at 538.2 ± 2.2 Ma, whereas gabbros show ages of 539.0 ± 1.8 Ma. Zircons from dacites have negative εHf(t) values of – 1.1 to – 8.3. In contrast, zircons from gabbros have higher εHf(t) values of +4.5 to +8.5, indicating crystallization from mantle-derived juvenile magmas. Bulk rock Nd-Sr isotopic data (e.g. ɛNd(t) = +0.3 to +4.0 and 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7059 to 0.70848) for gabbros, dolerites, and basalts confirm that these rocks originated from a mantle source similar to enriched parts of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, whereas dacites and rhyolites (with εNd(t) = −3.4 to −4.1 and 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.70806 to 0.70907) show strong interaction with, and/or re-melting of older continental crust. We suggest that the bimodal calc-alkaline and E-MORB-OIB-like magmatic rocks in salt diapirs as well as associated evaporites and sedimentary rocks formed in a retro-arc rifted basin behind the Cadomian magmatic arc.

Cadomian Magmatic Rocks from Zarand (SE Iran) Formed in a Retro-Arc Basin

A major arc-related magmatic episode is recorded in the Ediacaran-Early Cambrian (Cadomian) crust of Iran and Anatolia due to the southward subduction of Prototethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath N Gondwana. This magmatism was generated at a convergent margin, fragments of which can be traced for thousands of kilometres, from west Avalonia to the Lhasa terrane. Cadomian crustal tracts in Iran and Tauride-Anatolia are represented by abundant arc-like plutonic and volcanic rocks and a series of retro-arc, rifted basins dominated by thick sequences of terrigenous rocks as well as both calc-alkaline and alkaline magmatic rocks. This paper presents new zircon U-Pb as well as geochemical-isotopic data from plutonic (granite to gabbro) and volcanic (basalt to rhyolite) magmatic rocks of a Cadomian retro-arc rifted basin from Zarand in SE Iran. Geochemical data indicate two different geochemical signatures; high K calc-alkaline-shoshonitic, characterized by strong depletions in Nb, Ta, P, Ti, and alkaline rocks (and A1-type intrusions), with strong OIB-like trace element patterns. Cadomian OIB-like rocks- as well as A1-type intrusions- are rare in the basements of Iran and Anatolia and are only documented as minor gabbroic intrusions and/or (meta-) volcanic rocks from Saghand (central Iran), NE Iran and from exotic blocks from Ediacaran salt domes. Moreover, A2-type granites are also present in the Cadomian crust of Iran. Zarand volcanic rocks are interlayered with Rizu-Dezu terrigenous sedimentary rocks, whereas plutonic rocks intruded these metasediments. New zircon U-Pb ages show that high K calc-alkaline-shoshonitic rocks formed ~ 537-536 Ma, whereas A1-type granites crystallized at ~535 Ma. Most zircons from A1-type granites show positive εHf(t) values from +1.1 to +5.1, mostly higher than high K calc-alkaline-shoshonitic rocks with εHf (t) between −6.6 and +8.1. Bulk rock Nd-Sr isotopic data (e.g., ɛNd(t)= +0.3 to +4.0) for OIB-like rocks confirm that these rocks originated from an enriched OIB-like mantle source, whereas high K calc-alkaline-shoshonitic rocks (with εNd(t) = −7.7 to −6.2) show strong interaction with, and/or re-melting of a continental crust. Our results are consistent with an interpretation that the Zarand volcanic-plutonic rocks as well as associated thick sequences of sedimentary strata rocks formed in a retro-arc rifted basin behind the Cadomian magmatic arc. This basin seems to have developed during the Ediacaran at ~570-560 Ma with deposition of Ediacaran Morad to Lower Cambrian Rizu-Dezo sedimentary rocks. The retro-arc extensional basin seems to have become magmatically active at 540-535 Ma, as shown by the occurrence of both high K calc-alkaline- shoshonitic and OIB-like magmatic rocks. This basin was flanked by a cratonic hinterland towards Gondwana and a magmatic arc to the N. The cratonic hinterland fed detritus with detrital zircons older than 0.6 Ga into the basin, whereas the magmatic arc shed detritus with 500-600 Ma old zircons. Our compiled and new data from Ediacaran-Early Paleozoic magmatic rocks also show that Cadomian high magmatic fluxes occurred differently in parts of Iran-Anatolia, with overlaps in some areas.

Precambrian basement in the Rheic suture zone of the Central European Variscides (Odenwald)

Detrital zircon age spectra of Ediacaran paragneiss from the Rheic suture between the Rhenohercynian Zone and Saxothuringian Zone suggest that they originated from different parts of peri-Gondwana. The paragneiss from the Northern Phyllite Belt displays an age spectrum of detrital zircons with a high amount of Neoproterozoic (82%) and Mesoproterozoic zircons (11%) typical for Amazonian provenance, whereas the spectrum from the metagreywacke of the Odenwald (Mid-German Crystalline Zone) shows a Mesoproterozoic age gap which is correlated with the West African Craton. The metagreywacke of the Odenwald contains 20% Paleoproterozoic and 32% Archean zircons, whereas the paragneiss of the Northern Phyllite Belt (Wartenstein Crystalline) contains only 6% Paleoproterozoic and no Archean zircons. The paleoposition of the basement of Northern Phyllite Belt was proximal to the Avalonian magmatic arc of the London–Brabant high. The Armorican metagreywacke of the Odenwald occupied a distal position to a Neoproterozoic magmatic arc, probably in a back-arc basin related to the West African Craton. Such a U–Pb age spectrum of detrital zircons together with a Mesoproterozoic age gap is typical for sediments of Armorica in Europe during the Ediacaran to Carboniferous. Neoproterozoic igneous rocks extruded at 566 ± 2 Ma forming a volcano-clastic sequence of the Cadomian magmatic arc which is the wall rock of the Silurian to Carboniferous plutons of the entire West Odenwald. This is the first occurrence of an extensive Cadomian crystalline basement in the Mid-German Crystalline Zone. Metagranite dykes crosscut the foliation of the Cadomian para- and orthogneiss at 542 ± 3 Ma. The deformation and migmatization of the Cadomian basement are bracketed between 566 and 542 Ma. A similar late Cadomian event is known from the Bohemian Massif and the Armorican Massif. Large Cadomian plutons with an age around 540 Ma, like that of the northern Odenwald, are common for Armorica. Silurian to Devonian granitoids (434 ± 4 Ma, 411 ± 5 Ma) are witness to an active margin along the northern boundary of Armorica. The Cadomian basement of the Odenwald together with the Palaeozoic granitoids is overprinted by a high-grade metamorphism at 384 ± 4 Ma (U–Pb on zircon) and cooled down below ca. 500 °C at 370 Ma (K–Ar ages of amphibole; U–Pb on titanite). Such a combination of late Cadomian and early Variscan ages could be correlated with the Munchberger Nappe, the Tepla–Barrandian Unit, Central Armorican Domain and the Massif Central.

Detrital zircon U–Pb–Hf systematics of Ediacaran metasediments from the French Massif Central: Consequences for the crustal evolution of the north Gondwana margin

Combining U–Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic data of detrital zircon grains has proven a powerful tool to unravel the provenance of sediments and address continental crust evolution. In this study, we explore the origin of thick siliciclastic metasedimentary units from the high-grade internal domains of the Variscan belt of Europe and examine their significance for Neoproterozoic crust formation and evolution along the North Gondwana margin. We present data and U–Pb/Lu–Hf systematics of detrital zircons from five amphibolite-facies metasediments sampled in the eastern French Massif Central, measured in situ by LA–(MC)–ICP–MS. The sedimentary protoliths were deposited in the Ediacaran as evidenced by field relationships and maximum depositional ages ranging between 592.4 ± 5.5 and 556.8 ± 5.1 Ma. All samples contain three main zircon populations in terms of age distribution and Hf isotopes: (i) abundant 0.55–0.65 Ga zircons with considerably scattered εHf(t) from −19 to +14; (ii) varied amounts of 0.65–1.0 Ga zircons showing dominantly positive εHf(t) with the exception of the c. 1.0 Ga zircons; and (iii) ≥1.8 Ga zircons (mostly between 1.9–2.1 and 2.5–2.8, up to 3.2 Ga) with εHf(t) ranging between +5 and −7. Multidimensional scaling of our U–Pb dataset and a data compilation of Ediacaran to Lower Cambrian (meta)sediments from the North Gondwana margin reveals that the relative proportions of the three age components carry discriminant provenance information. Geological data indicate that the Ediacaran basins of the eastern French Massif Central collected the erosion products of two main source regions: (i) the Neoproterozoic Cadomian magmatic arc; and (ii) the cratonic hinterland, mostly from the Saharan Metacraton and the Arabian-Nubian Shield. Our dataset attests to the reworking of: (i) juvenile Neoproterozoic crust and, (ii) old Paleoproterozoic to Neoarchean crustal components, either as part of the detritus or incorporated in Neoproterozoic arc magmas. First-order estimates derived from the isotopic signature of S-type granitic magmas sourced in the Ediacaran metasediments suggest that 60–75% of the detritus would correspond to young Neoproterozoic crust and thus represent net additions to the continental crust volume.

Provenance and geochemical variations across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in the Soltanieh Formation, Alborz Mountains, Iran

AbstractThe Soltanieh Formation in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran is not only a key lithostratigraphic unit for reconstruction of the Iranian geological history, but also a globally outstanding succession to reveal variations in seawater composition across the Precambrian–Cambrian (PC–C) transition. Mineralogical and geochemical data from a continuous stratigraphic record of Lower and Upper Shale members of the Soltanieh Formation are used to define their provenance, tectonic setting as well as geochemical variations during the PC–C transition. The Soltanieh mudrocks are composed of quartz and plagioclase, with minor constituents of illite, chlorite and montmorillonite. The chemical index of alteration, A-CN-K (Al2O3– CaO + Na2O – K2O) relations, index of compositional variability, and Th/Sc versus Zr/Sc ratios indicate low chemical weathering in source areas, compositionally immature and first-cycle sediments. Immobile trace-element ratios and discrimination diagrams, chondrite-normalized rare Earth element (REE) patterns and negative Eu anomaly, along with low total REE abundances and negligible Ce anomalies, demonstrate that the Soltanieh Formation was mainly derived from proximal felsic-intermediate Cadomian magmatic arc sources and deposited in a continental-arc-related basin on the proto-Tethyan active margin of Gondwana. The palaeoredox indicators exhibit a remarkable change in environmental condition from a suboxic to an oxic state across the PC–C transition from the Kahar Formation to the Upper Shale Member of the Soltanieh Formation. Moreover, a significant upwards increase of P, Ba, and Ca is likely associated with enhanced fluxes of nutrient elements during the PC–C transition, coeval with the building of collisional mountain belts during the amalgamation of Gondwana.

From Cadomian magmatic arc to Rheic ocean closure: The geochronological-geochemical record of nappe protoliths of the Münchberg Massif, NE Bavaria (Germany)

The Münchberg Massif in northeastern Bavaria, Germany is an allochthonous metamorphic nappe complex within the Saxothuringian Zone of the Variscan orogen. From top to bottom it consists of four major units: Hangend-Serie, Liegend-Serie, Randamphibolit-Serie and Prasinit-Phyllit-Serie, which show an inverted metamorphic gradient of eclogite- to amphibolite-facies (top) to greenschist-facies (bottom) and are separated from each other by thrust faults. New geochemical and U-Pb zircon data indicate that the four units host metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks, which were formed at different time and in distinct geotectonic settings during the evolution of the Saxothuringian terrane between 550 and 370Ma. Mafic and felsic protoliths of the Hangend-Serie result from a bimodal magmatism in an evolved oceanic to continental magmatic arc setting at about 550Ma. These rocks represent relics of the Cadomian magmatic arc, which formed a cordillera at the northern margin of Gondwana during the Neoproterozoic. The Liegend-Serie hosts slivers of granitic orthogneisses, emplaced during magmatic events at c. 505 and 480Ma, and Early Palaeozoic paragneisses, with our samples deposited at ≤483Ma. Ortho- and paragneisses were affected by an amphibolite-facies metamorphic overprint at c. 380Ma. Granite emplacement and sediment deposition can be related to the separation of the Avalonia microterrane from the northern Gondwana margin. Amphibolite protoliths of the Randamphibolit-Serie emplaced at c. 400Ma. They show N-MORB to E-MORB signatures, pointing to their formation along an oceanic spreading centre within the Rheic ocean. Mafic igneous rocks in the Prasinit-Phyllit-Serie emplaced at nearly the same time (407–401Ma), but their calc-alkaline to tholeiitic character rather suggests formation in an intra-oceanic island arc/back arc system. This convergent margin lasted for about 30Ma until the Late Devonian, as is suggested by a maximum deposition age of 371Ma of associated phyllites, and by metamorphic Ar-Ar ages of 374–368Ma. The timing of the different magmatic and sedimentary events in the Münchberg Massif and their plate tectonic settings are similar to those estimated for other Variscan nappe complexes throughout Europe, comprising the French Massif Central and NW Spain. This similarity indicates that the Münchberg Massif forms part of an European-wide suture zone, along which rock units of different origin were assembled in a complex way during the Variscan Orogeny.

Crustal Evolution of NW Iran: Cadomian Arcs, Archean Fragments and the Cenozoic Magmatic Flare-Up

The Cadomian orogen of NW Iran includes a series of metamorphic rocks with zircon U-Pb ages between ca 562 and 505 Ma (Ediacaran to middle Cambrian). The Ediacaran-Cambrian basement is intruded by a series of Late Eocene-Late Oligocene I-type granitic rocks. U-Pb geochronology, integrated with geochemical and isotopic data for the basement rocks in NW Iran, provides further evidence of a Cadomian (562-505 Ma) arc-related magmatic event lasting ∼ 60 Myr. Cadomian magmatism in Iran was a part of a ∼ 100 Myr long episode of subduction-related arc magmatism at the northern margin of Gondwana. Zircon Hf-isotope compositions show that during Cadomian magmatic arc activity, juvenile arc magmas interacted with reworked Archean crust to generate the Ediacaran-Cambrian igneous rocks. Our results document both inheritance of old zircons and the presence of zircons with juvenile signatures in NW Iran, suggesting that the geotectonic setting for the Cadomian rocks was an Ediacaran continental magmatic arc and probably a neighboring back-arc basin. The occurrence of Ediacaran ophiolitic slices in NW Iran may provide evidence of back-arc basin opening at that time. Cenozoic plutonism in NW Iran is part of an Eocene-Oligocene magmatic ‘flare-up’ along the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Belt in central Iran, which lasted for ca 30 Myr. The melts responsible for the formation of these rocks had an essentially juvenile signature with minor contamination by Archean to Cadomian middle-lower continental crust. Continuous convergence between Arabia and Iran was accompanied by the transition of SW Eurasia from a compressional to an extensional convergent plate margin in Eocene-Oligocene times, leading to orogenic collapse, core-complex formation, exhumation of Cadomian crust and a major increase in arc magmatism.

Zircon Hf isotopic constraints on magmatic and tectonic evolution in Iran: Implications for crustal growth in the Tethyan orogenic belt

This study presents coupled zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic analyses of 82 igneous rocks that are mainly from the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc (UDMA) and Sanandaj-Sirjan zone (SSZ), Iran, together with additional 11 samples from Armenia, along the central part of the Neotethyan orogenic belt. The results provide an overview of the isotopic variations for several important magmatic stages, which can improve our understanding of magmatic and crustal evolution regarding the life cycles of Tethys oceans during the past ∼600Myr in Iran and adjacent regions. Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (595–511Ma) basement rocks in the SSZ and Central Iran, which were part of the Cadomian magmatic arc, yield zircon εHf(T) values from +11 to −3 and are attributed to have partially evolved with juvenile magmas in the Arabian-Nubian Shield along the northern margin of Gondwana. Carboniferous (349–311Ma) A-type granitoids in the northwestern SSZ show mostly positive zircon εHf(T) values from +5 to −1, and they are interpreted as the product involving a moderate mantle contribution in an extensional environment affiliated with the initial rifting of the Neotethys. Late Triassic (219–203Ma) granitoids in the eastern Alborz give slightly lower zircon εHf(T) values between +3 and −3 as a result of the progress of closing the Paleotethys. Middle Jurassic (∼165Ma) granitoids in the SSZ and Central UDMA, representing an early phase of Neotethyan subduction-related magmatism, exhibit similar zircon εHf(T) values from +5 to −3, implying an origin of mixed juvenile and reworked sources to form the magmas. Late Cretaceous (81–72Ma) intrusive rocks in the Southeast UDMA yield bimodal zircon εHf(T) values from +15 to +11 in the Jiroft and from +5 to −9 in the Bazman areas, suggesting that the latter involves a reworked crustal component. At the latest Cenozoic, magmatic rocks with ages <55Ma that occurred widely across Iran and Armenia before and after the Arabia-Eurasia collision give dominantly positive zircon εHf(T) values ranging between +15 and −1, except for the Eocene granitoids in Central Iran, which have remarkably lower zircon εHf(T) values down to −7. Therefore, these Cenozoic rocks yield younger zircon Hf crustal model ages (TDMC), mainly from ca. 1.2 to 0.2Ga, than the Late Neoproterozoic-Mesozoic rocks. As the whole, the highly radiogenic Hf isotopes with positive εHf(T) values recorded by most (∼90%) of the measured magmatic zircons from Iran suggest that the mantle input has played a significant and long-standing role in the magmatic genesis and crustal growth throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution in this particular part of the Tethyan orogenic belt.

Provenance of Upper Devonian clastic (meta)sediments of the Böllstein Odenwald (Mid-German-Crystalline-Zone, Variscides)

Detrital zircons separated from paragneisses of the northern Bollstein Odenwald (Mid-German Crystalline Zone, Variscides) yielded Cambrian to Upper Devonian U–Pb ages. The age of the youngest detrital zircon population (371 ± 3 Ma) and the Lower Carboniferous metamorphic overprint indicate an Upper Devonian depositional age of the paragneiss protolith. The age spectra of detrital zircons suggest the latter to be derived from (1) Ordovician igneous rocks of the Saxothuringian Zone, (2) a late Cadomian magmatic arc (Tepla-Barrandian Unit) and (3) a Silurian-Devonian magmatic arc. Cadomian igneous activity is also documented by Cambrian zircon cores in Lower to Middle Devonian detrital zircons. Meso- and Paleoproterozoic detrital zircons, which are typical for the Old Red Continent and the Rhenohercynian Zone, are entirely lacking. The restricted Palaeozoic detrital zircon age spectrum is attributed to a Silurian-Devonian intra arc or trench setting. Both the lack of Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons and the striking similarity of the U–Pb ages of the detrital zircon obtained from the Bollstein Odenwald with U–Pb ages from crystalline rocks of the Saxothuringian basement, rules out that the Bollstein Odenwald is forming a tectonic window (Rhenohercynian lower plate) inside the Mid-German Crystalline Zone (Saxothuringian upper plate).

Geochemistry and tectonostratigraphy of the basal allochthonous units of SW Iberia (Évora Massif, Portugal): Keys to the reconstruction of pre-Pangean paleogeography in southern Europe

The basal allochthonous units of NW and SW Iberia are members of an intra-Gondwana suture zone that spreads across the Iberian Massif and was formed during the collision of Gondwana and Laurussia in the late Paleozoic. This suture zone is made of allochthonous terranes and is currently preserved as a tectonically dismembered ensemble. A multi-proxy analysis is applied to the basal allochthonous units of Iberia to test their affinity and potential usage for tracing a suture zone. A comparison of the lithostratigraphy, tectonometamorphic evolution, geochronology, and geochemical characteristics of the Ediacaran series of these units reveals striking affinities. They derive from rather similar immature sedimentary successions, deposited along the same continental margin, and in relation to a Cadomian magmatic arc. Sm–Nd systematics indicates that the isotopic sources are among the oldest of the Iberian Massif (ca. 2.15–1.5Ga), suggesting a very strong contribution from the West African Craton. These Ediacaran series were affected by high-P and low- to medium-T metamorphism (blueschist to eclogite facies) during the Late Devonian (ca. 370Ma). They occur below allochthonous ophiolitic sequences, and on top of autochthonous or parautochthonous domains lacking of high-P and low- to medium-T Devonian metamorphism, i.e., tectonically sandwiched between lithosphere-scale thrusts. The combination of all these characteristics makes these particular Ediacaran series different from the rest of the terranes of the Iberian Massif. Such singularity could be useful for tracing more occurrences of the same suture zone along the Variscan orogen, particularly in cases where its preservation and recognition may be cryptic. It also contributes to improve the paleogeographic reconstruction of the margin of Gondwana during the Ediacaran.

Pre-Alpine evolution of a segment of the North-Gondwanan margin: Geochronological and geochemical evidence from the central Serbo-Macedonian Massif

The Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM) represents a composite crystalline belt within the Eastern European Alpine orogen, outcropping from the Pannonian basin in the north, to the Aegean Sea in the south. The central parts of the massif (i.e. southeastern Serbia, southwestern Bulgaria, eastern Macedonia) consist of the medium- to high-grade Lower Complex, and the low-grade Vlasina Unit. New results of U–Pb LA-ICP-MS analyses, coupled with geochemical analyses of Hf isotopes on magmatic and detrital zircons, and main and trace element concentrations in whole-rock samples suggest that the central SMM and the basement of the adjacent units (i.e. Eastern Veles series and Struma Unit) originated in the central parts of the northern margin of Gondwana. These data provided a basis for a revised tectonic model of the evolution of the SMM from the late Ediacaran to the Early Triassic.The earliest magmatism in the Lower Complex, Vlasina Unit and the basement of Struma Unit is related to the activity along the late Cadomian magmatic arc (562–522Ma). Subsequent stage of early Palaeozoic igneous activity is associated with the reactivation of subduction below the Lower Complex and the Eastern Veles series during the Early Ordovician (490–478Ma), emplacement of mafic dykes in the Lower Complex due to aborted rifting in the Middle Ordovician (472–456Ma), and felsic within-plate magmatism in the early Silurian (439±2Ma). The third magmatic stage is represented by Carboniferous late to post-collisional granites (328–304Ma). These granites intrude the gneisses of the Lower Complex, in which the youngest deformed igneous rocks are of early Silurian age, thus constraining the high-strain deformation and peak metamorphism to the Variscan orogeny. The Permian–Triassic (255–253Ma) stage of late- to post-collisional and within-plate felsic magmatism is related to the opening of the Mesozoic Tethys.

Evolution of a Neoproterozoic suture in the Iberian Massif, Central Portugal: New U-Pb ages of igneous and metamorphic events at the contact between the Ossa Morena Zone and Central Iberian Zone

A Neoproterozoic suture is exposed at the contact between the Ossa Morena Zone and the Central Iberian Zone, in the Iberian Massif (Central Portugal), the westernmost segment of the European Variscides. Although, the Cadomian magmatic and tectonometamorphic events have been previously documented, their timing is still poorly constrained, particularly in the inner zones of the suture. We used geochronological (ID-TIMS U-Pb) data to establish the sequence of events, isotopic (Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd) data to characterize the magmatic sources and thermodynamic modelling to determine the maximum P-T conditions attained during the Cadomian metamorphism. The first event, in the future Ossa Morena Zone, is the onset of island arc magmatism represented mainly by tholeiites with a MORB signature. Their igneous crystallization age is unknown, but they are older than ca. 539Ma. This magmatic activity was accompanied by deposition of fine-grained sediments in a Neoproterozoic basin. The second event is the evolution of the Cadomian magmatic arc in different stages. The earliest magmatic stage occurs at ca. 692Ma, which is the oldest igneous age known in the Ossa Morena Zone. It is followed by the generation of subalkaline and peraluminous protoliths at ca. 569Ma, with the isotopic signature of old crustal sources. The final phase of the arc magmatism (ca. 548–544Ma) involved mainly partial melting of continental crust. The range of the main magmatic activity must have been between ca. 569Ma and ca. 544Ma as mentioned for other areas in the Ossa Morena Zone. A major metamorphic event, recorded in metamorphic monazite, zircon and titanite at ca. 540Ma, attained upper amphibolite facies conditions close to the transition to granulite facies (7–8kbar and 640–660°C). It represents the continental arc accretion of the Ossa Morena Zone with the Iberian Autochthon passive margin (future Central Iberian Zone). The Early Ordovician rocks (ca. 483–477Ma) were generated from depleted and juvenile sources. These rocks are strongly deformed and with melting features, display metamorphism at amphibolite facies conditions. They are interpreted as related with the Rheic Ocean.

A hidden Tonian basement in the eastern Mediterranean: Age constraints from U–Pb data of magmatic and detrital zircons of the External Hellenides (Crete and Peloponnesus)

A newly discovered Precambrian basement of the External Hellenides (Peloponnesus) is composed of mica schist, quartzite and meta-greywackes intruded by Cambrian granitoids (524+6/−5Ma). As such Cambrian intrusions are frequent in the eastern Mediterranean, but are lacking in northern Africa, they are interpreted to result from a Cadomian magmatic arc that was situated along the northern margin of East Gondwana. This arc was rifted off from Gondwana in Early Paleozoic times. The sedimentation age of the meta-greywackes is bracketed between the age of their youngest detrital zircons (541±7Ma, Crete; 546±7Ma, Peloponnesus) and the intrusion of the Cambrian granitoids. The detrital zircon age spectra are dominated by two significant age peaks at ca. 600Ma and ca. 1Ga, which are characteristic for Cambrian platform sediments of Jordan, Israel and Lybia and for the Minoan-type terranes with an East Gondwana provenance. The high amount of 1Ga old zircons points to a Tonian basement as provenance, which is situated at the northern margin of the Arabian Nubian Shield (N'Sinai) and the Sahara Metacraton, today hidden under Mesozoic cover. There is a good correlation between the detrital age spectra of the Late Ediacaran/Cambrian basement of the External Hellenides and of the eastern Mediterranean realm. Apart from the Hellenides and Turkey (Menderes, Sakarya), the Minoan-type terranes have also been found in Sicily, Sardinia, and NW Iberia. Our review of detrital zircon ages obtained from Europe and northern Africa revealed four different domains during Early Cambrian times, which have affinities to (1) Baltica, (2) South-America (Avalonian-type terranes), (3) W Africa (Armorican-type terranes), and (4) E Gondwana (Minoan-type terranes and the platform sandstones of E Africa).

Potential sources of Ediacaran strata of Iberia: a review

Advances in stratigraphy, geochemistry and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology from Ediacaran strata of Iberia allow for the improved characterisation of crustal growth in the North Gondwana active margin. The formation of Cadomian magmatic arcs and associated back-arc basins that took place in the North Gondwana active margin was a long-term process. Iberia has been placed in the Cadomian belt in currently accepted palaeogeography reconstructions at c. 570–560 Ma, based on the characteristics of Ediacaran strata. The Ediacaran strata of Iberia with outstanding geochemical homogeneity are distributed across three zones of Iberia: (1) Narcea Slates in the Cantabrian and West Asturian Leonese zones (maximum depositional age of c. 600 and 553 Ma); (2) Schist–Greywacke Complex (Lower Series) in the Central Iberian Zone (maximum depositional age of c. 578 to 550 Ma); and (3) Série Negra in the Ossa-Morena Zone (maximum depositional age of c. 590–545 Ma). Pre-Cryogenian detrital zircons found in the Ediacaran strata of Iberia seem to be related to distal sources distributed across three main areas of North Gondwana inland. The oldest detrital zircons probably derive from distal sources such as the West African craton, the Trans-Saharan belt and the Arabian–Nubian Shield, in view of the increase in distance from sedimentary basins. The West African craton is the most likely source for Archean and Palaeoproterozoic detrital zircons, while the Trans-Saharan belt and the Arabian–Nubian shield could provide a source for Tonian and Mesoproterozoic grains. The youngest zircon ages (c. 630–545 Ma), which make up the dominant population in the Ediacaran strata of Iberia, are probably derived from proximal sources as would be the Cadomian magmatic arc system, not excluding the contribution of the Pan-African orogen.

Sediment and weathering control on the distribution of Paleozoic magmatic tin–tungsten mineralization

The formation of major granite-hosted Sn and/or W deposits and lithium–cesium–tantalum (LCT) type pegmatites in the Acadian, Variscan, and Alleghanian orogenic belts of Europe and Atlantic Northern America involves weathering-related Sn and W enrichment in the sedimentary debris of the Cadomian magmatic arc and melting of these sedimentary source rocks during later tectonic events, followed by magmatic Sn and W enrichment. We suggest that within this, more than 3,000-km long late Paleozoic belt, large Sn and/or W deposits are only found in regions where later redeposition of the Sn–W-enriched weathered sediments, followed by tectonic accumulation, created large volumes of Sn–W-enriched sedimentary rocks. Melting of these packages occurred both during the formation of Pangea, when continental collision subjected these source rocks to high-grade metamorphism and anatexis, and during post-orogenic crustal extension and mantle upwelling. The uncoupling of source enrichment and source melting explains (i) the diachronous occurrence of tin granites and LCT pegmatites in this late Paleozoic orogenic belt, (ii) the occurrence of Sn and/or W mineralizations and LCT pegmatites on both sides of the Rheic suture, and (iii) the contrasting tectonic setting of Sn and/or W mineralizations within this belt. Source enrichment, sedimentary and tectonic accumulation of the source rocks, and heat input to mobilize metals from the source rocks are three unrelated requirements for the formation of Sn and/or W granites. They are the controlling features on the large scale. Whether a particular granite eventually generates a Sn and/or W deposit depends on local conditions related to source melting, melt extraction, and fractionation processes.

Zircon U–Pb ages, Hf isotopes and geochemistry of the schists, gneisses and granites in Delbar Metamorphic-Igneous Complex, SE of Shahrood (Iran): Implications for Neoproterozoic geodynamic evolutions of Central Iran

The Delbar Metamorphic-Igneous Complex (DMIC) consists of the medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks and granites – leucogranites is located in the Biarjmand region, in Central Iran. U–Pb dating of the gneisses yielded the ages of 546±3.7–547±6.8Ma similar to the crystallization ages of leucogranites (541±4.7–547±11Ma) are consistent to the Late Ediacaran–Early Cambrian ages of Cadomian magmatic arc (∼545Ma). The 206Pb/238U ages of the detrital zircons from the mica-schists sample are from 551±5.1–549±5.1Ma. The youngest ages of the meta-pelitic protolith have 10Ma age intervals compared to the granites emplacement age, which indicates rapid Late Precambrian crustal recycling involving erosion, burial, metamorphism to partial melting of the continental crust in less than ca. 10Ma. These rapid crustal evolutions were related to the final collision and amalgamation of Gondwana, the Rheic Ocean clouser and coeval paleotethys opening at the end of the Avalonian–Cadomian orogeny. The studied granites are similar to the volcanic arc granitoids and originated from the crustal source in an active continental margin based on the geochemical characteristics and Hf isotopes data. Exhumation of the DMIC Complex, is marked by deposition of Lower Jurassic conglomerates contains pebbles of basement rocks. These rocks were interrupted by mafic swarms dikes that have generated in a back arc extensional setting related to the Neotethys subduction under the Central Iran at the 152±35Ma (Middle–Late Jurassic) based on the U–Pb apatite dating.