Chronological and geochemical constraints on the pre-variscan tectonic history of the Erzgebirge, Saxothuringian Zone

A combined U–Pb zircon geochronological and whole-rock isotopic and geochemical study has been carried out on high-grade orthogneiss, meta-basite, and meta-sediments from the Erzgebirge. The results indicate multiple pulses of Ediacaran–Ordovician magmatism in a transitional volcanic-arc to rift-basin setting. Orthogneiss from high-pressure nappes exhibit a step-like pattern of inherited zircon ages and emplacement ages of 500–475 Ma. In...