A review of the pre-Permian geology of the Variscan French Massif Central

Faure, Michel; Lardeaux, Jean‐Marc; Ledru, Patrick

doi:10.1016/j.crte.2008.12.001

Cited by 229 publications

(234 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…A large portion of the Eastern French Massif Central is occupied by the Velay Complex, a c. 100 by 100 km migmatite dome (Lagarde et al 1994;Ledru et al 2001). A large volume of peraluminous granite forms its core (Williamson et al 1992;Lagarde et al 1994;Downes et al 1997;Ledru et al 2001), and cuts across the Early Carboniferous nappe stack (Faure et al 2009 and references therein). The Southern Velay area experienced a polymetamorphic evolution during the Variscan orogeny, described as a succession of four major tectono-metamorphic events (Marignac et al 1980;Montel et al 1992).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal relationships between Mg-K mafic magmatism and catastrophic melting of the Variscan crust in the southern part of Velay Complex (Massif Central, France)

Couzinié¹,

Moyen²,

Villaros³

et al. 2014

Jour. Geosci.

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Mg-K mafic intrusive rocks are commonly observed during the late stages of the evolution of orogenic belts. The Variscan French Massif Central has many outcrops of these rocks, locally called vaugnerites. Such magmas have a mantle-derived origin and therefore allow discussion of the role of mantle melting and crust-mantle interactions during late-orogenic processes. In the Southern Velay area of the French Massif Central, LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating on zircons and monazites from three vaugnerites and four coeval granites reveals that the two igneous suites formed simultaneously, at c. 305 Ma. This major igneous event followed after an early, protracted melting stage that lasted for 20-30 My and generated migmatites, but the melt was not extracted efficiently and therefore no granite plutons were formed. This demonstrates that widespread crustal anatexis, melt extraction and granite production were synchronous with the intrusion of vaugneritic mantle-derived melts in the crust. The rapid heating and subsequent melting of the crust led to upward flow of partially molten rocks, doming and collapse of the belt.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal relationships between Mg-K mafic magmatism and catastrophic melting of the Variscan crust in the southern part of Velay Complex (Massif Central, France)

Couzinié¹,

Moyen²,

Villaros³

et al. 2014

Jour. Geosci.

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“…Devonian subduction was followed by oblique collision of the northern Gondwana margin against Armorica in Famennian -Tournaisian times (Edel, Schulmann, Skrzypek, & Cocherie, 2013;Matte, 2001). The final convergence between the continental blocks was characterized by the development of a wide network of lithospheric strike-slip shear zones, which accommodated the northeastward displacement of Laurussia and Avalonia relative to stable Gondwana from late Visean to Early Permian (Faure, Lardeaux, & Ledru, 2009;Gutiérrez-Alonso et al, 2008;Muttoni, Kent, & Channell, 1996). The pre-Mesozoic basement of north Sardinia is a section of the Variscan orogen equivalent to the Moldanubian domain ( Figure 1) of central Europe (Edel et al, 2013;Matte, 2001;Rossi, Oggiano, & Cocherie, 2009 (Buzzi, Gaggero, & Oggiano, 2008;Casini et al, 2012;Oggiano, Gaggero, Funedda, Buzzi, & Tiepolo, 2010), and a Lower Metamorphic Complex (LMC), made of paragneisses, micaschists, quartzites and subordinate amphibolite boudins (Cappelli et al, 1991;Carmignani et al, 1994).The Visean collisional evolution is testified by exhumation of HP rocks and southward thrusting of UMC onto LMC.…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural map of Variscan northern Sardinia (Italy)

et al. 2014

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In this paper, we present a geological structural map (1:100,000 scale, 2300 km 2 surface area) of the Variscan basement of northern Sardinia. The map integrates field structural analysis, extensive gamma-ray spectrometry, and high-resolution ELA-ICP-MS U/Th-Pb zircon and monazite dating. A set of 10 samples of granitic rocks collected from different plutons were characterized for their crystallization age. This provided an accurate timing of magmatic events related to the development of the Corsica-Sardinia Batholith. The structural map, complemented with geochronological results represents a benchmark for future studies on Variscan geodynamics.

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“…The combination of horizontal shortening and extension with diapiric flow explains the absence of a radial or centrifuge flow pattern and also the fact that the dome bends the vectors of extensional flow. These two features are observed along the axial zones of the Variscan belt, both in the Iberian Massif (this article), the French Massif Central (Malavieille et al 1990;Lagarde et al 1994;Ledru et al 2001;Faure et al 2009), and the German Variscides (Krohe and Eisbacher 1988;Krohe 1998).…”

Section: Tectonic Implications For the Iberian Massif And For Plate Cmentioning

confidence: 67%

Extensional Flow during Gravitational Collapse: A Tool for Setting Plate Convergence (Padrón Migmatitic Dome, Variscan Belt, NW Iberia)

Fernández

Catalán

Barreiro

et al. 2012

The Journal of Geology

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A B S T R A C TPlate convergence analysis in collisional orogens is usually based on the study of major contractional structures and strike-slip shear zones. Here we show how the structural analysis of extensional structures may report the regional or far stress field during relatively local, gravity-driven extensional collapse of a thickened continental crust and how this information may be used to constrain the broad vectors of plate convergence at that time. The Padró n migmatitic dome is a synconvergent extensional system developed in the axial zone of the Variscan belt exposed in the NW part of the Iberian Massif of Spain. This system affected the allochthonous and autochthonous sequences involved in Pangaea's assembly in Southern Europe. It includes three major extensional shear zones, which have been analyzed in detail to provide a wide ground data set for the discussion of the proposed model. The tectonic flow in the Padró n migmatitic dome and in other coeval structures is characterized by vectors ranging from parallel to oblique, in the latter case with a counterclockwise azimuth in relation to the trend of the orogenic belt. Our model suggests that the extensional collapse of the Variscan belt in NW Iberia would have developed if the convergence between Gondwana and Laurussia had not stopped and that it would have included a dextral component.

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A review of the pre-Permian geology of the Variscan French Massif Central

Cited by 229 publications

References 45 publications

Temporal relationships between Mg-K mafic magmatism and catastrophic melting of the Variscan crust in the southern part of Velay Complex (Massif Central, France)

Temporal relationships between Mg-K mafic magmatism and catastrophic melting of the Variscan crust in the southern part of Velay Complex (Massif Central, France)

Structural map of Variscan northern Sardinia (Italy)

Extensional Flow during Gravitational Collapse: A Tool for Setting Plate Convergence (Padrón Migmatitic Dome, Variscan Belt, NW Iberia)

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