On the position of some Ediacaran-Cambrian Balkanide units along the Cadomian active margin of Gondwana
Abstract
The main goal of this study is to compare the westerly and easterly terranes of the Avalonian-Cadomian orogenic belt and to bridge this gap in understanding their early history. This goal is pursued in three steps.
First, we present new U-Pb detrital zircon ages from four Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic basement units in the Balkans in Bulgaria and Serbia. Second, to place the new data in a broader context, we have compiled an extensive database of igneous and metamorphic zircon ages in Northern Africa and detrital zircon ages from other, possibly correlative terranes from the Eastern Alps through the Carpathians and Balkans to Turkey and Iran.
Using a statistical analysis of the data, we quantitatively characterize the degree of similarity of the obtained zircon age spectra. Finally, the statistical analysis of both new and published age spectra is used to interpret the most likely source areas and terrane provenances and to construct a new paleogeographic model involving both westerly and easterly Cadomian terranes.