International Geological Journal - Official Journal of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association

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Provenance of Upper Paleozoic Sandstones from the Western Carpathians (Slovakia): Petrofacies analysis and U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology

Published: Jun 2024

Pages: 171 - 194

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/GeolCarp.2024.10

Authors: ANNA VOZÁROVÁ, KATARÍNA ŠARINOVÁ

Abstract: The provenance of Upper Paleozoic sediments in the Western Carpathians was derived by a petrofacies ­analysis of sandstones, including the U–Pb geochronology of detrital zircons. The Upper Paleozoic sedimentary basins were formed sequentially by tectonic processes associated with the Variscan continental collision, as well as by subsequent transpressional/transtensional and extensional regimes. Fore-arc related and proforeland basins were formed in the Late Tournaisian/Visean and subsequently in the Bashkirian/Moscovian. Transpressional/transtensional and extensional basins were formed successively on both sides of the continental collisional suture, both in the proforeland and retroforeland parts in the Late Pennsylvanian and later in the Cisuralian and Guadalupian. The sandstone petrofacies, as well as the detrital zircon distribution, indicate source areas directly from the underlying crystalline basement: a magmatic arc, an uplifted continental block for the Central Western Carpathian basins, and a recycled orogen for the Inner Western Carpathian basins. Detrital zircon age spectra record distinct stages of protracted Ediacaran to Carboniferous tectonosedimentary processes. This indicates a different palinspastic position of source areas along the peri-Gonwanan realm, the West African Craton, and the Sahara Metacraton in the Neoproterozoic.

Keywords: Western Carpathians, Carboniferous/Permian sandstones, provenance variations, detrital zircon geochronology, tectonic implication

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