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Pre-Variscan geological events in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Massif deduced from U–Pb zircon ages

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Abstract

In an attempt to elucidate the pre-Variscan evolution history of the various geological units in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Massif, we have analysed zircons from 12 rocks (mainly orthogneisses) by means of SHRIMP, conventional multi-grain and single-grain U–Pb isotope-dilution/mass-spectrometry. Two of the orthogneisses studied represent Cadomian metagranitoids that formed at ca. 610 Ma (Spitz gneiss) and ca. 580 Ma (Bittesch gneiss). A metagranite from the Thaya batholith also gave a Cadomian zircon age (567±5 Ma). Traces of Neoproterozoic zircon growth were also identified in several other samples, underlining the great importance of the Cadomian orogeny for the evolution of crust in the southern Bohemian Massif. However, important magmatic events also occurred in the Early Palaeozoic. A sample of the Gföhl gneiss was recognised as a 488±6 Ma-old granite. A tonalite gneiss from the realm of the South Bohemian batholith was dated at 456±3 Ma, and zircon cores in a Moldanubian metagranitic granulite gave similar ages of 440–450 Ma. This Ordovician phase of magmatism in the Moldanubian unit is tentatively interpreted as related to the rifting and drift of South Armorica from the African Gondwana margin. The oldest inherited zircons, in a migmatite from the South Bohemian batholith, yielded an age of ca. 2.6 Ga, and many zircon cores in both Moravian and Moldanubian meta-granitoid rocks gave ages around 2.0 Ga. However, rocks from the Moldanubian unit show a striking lack of zircon ages between 1.8 and 1.0 Ga, reflecting an ancestry from Armorica and the North African part of Gondwana, respectively, whereas the Moravian Bittesch gneiss contains many inherited zircons with Mesoproterozoic and Early Palaeoproterozoic ages of ca. 1.2, 1.5 and 1.65–1.8 Ga, indicating a derivation from the South American part of Gondwana.

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Acknowledgements

Zircon analyses on the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro Probe mass spectrometer (SHRIMP II) were carried out at the Curtin University of Technology in Perth during two measurement campaigns of G. Friedl in January/February 1998 and March 1999. This work was financially supported through FWF grant 12248 (to Finger). SHRIMP II is operated by a WA university–government consortium with the support of the Australian Research Council. K. Ettinger (Graz) is thanked for providing BSE images, and G. Harrand for zircon hand-picking of sample DÜRN-TON for analysis. S. Mazur and G. Siebel provided competent and helpful reviews.

This paper is dedicated to Prof. G. Frasl (1924–2003), Professor of Geology and pioneer of Bohemian Massif research at Salzburg University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Universität Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, Salzburg, Austria

    Gertrude Friedl

  2. Institut für Mineralogie, Universität Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, Salzburg, Austria

    Fritz Finger

  3. Département de Géologie, UMR6524, Univ.B.Pascal, CNRS, 5 Rue Kessler, Clermont Ferrand, France

    Jean-Louis Paquette

  4. Institut für Isotopengeologie und mineralische Rohstoffe, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland

    Albrecht von Quadt

  5. Centre for Global Metallogeny, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

    Neal J. McNaughton & Ian R. Fletcher

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  1. Gertrude Friedl
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Correspondence to Gertrude Friedl.

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Friedl, G., Finger, F., Paquette, JL. et al. Pre-Variscan geological events in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Massif deduced from U–Pb zircon ages. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 93, 802–823 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-004-0420-9

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