A review of the Caledonian Wilson cycle from a North Atlantic perspective

Abstract

The opening and closure of the Paleozoic Iapetus Ocean, leading to the collision of Laurentia and Baltica forming the Caledonian orogen, is one of the prime examples of a Wilson Cycle. In this perspective article, we summarize and discuss the content of 10 new research articles within a 5-stage framework of the Caledonian Wilson cycle from a North Atlantic perspective. Stage 1 covers Neoproterozoic rifting of both the Laurentian and Baltican margins, where the plate tectonic configurations and the timing for the onset of rifting are far from resolved; Stage 2 covers the onset of sea-floor spreading within Iapetus, with several different oceanic basins opening at different times, and with variable geometries of the rifted margins; Stage 3 covers the narrowing of the Iapetus basins along several subduction zones, the number, location and orientation of which are debated; Stage 4 covers the main continent-continent collision, documenting advances in our understanding of (U)HP metamorphism within the Western Gneiss Region; Stage 5 covers post-orogenic extension, transitioning into stage 1 of the subsequent Atlantic Wilson cycle. We review the evolution of the Caledonian Wilson cycle in the light of the recent literature from the past decade and highlight open questions and unresolved issues. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Caledonian Wilson cycle collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/the-caledonian-wilson-cycle