In situ white mica Rb/Sr geochronology of the Leszczyniec metaigneous complex, West Sudetes: evidence of upper plate deformation at the onset of Variscan collision

Abstract

The Karkonosze-Izera Massif in the West Sudetes preserves evidence of subduction of the Saxothuringian Ocean beneath the Teplá-Barrandian Domain. Within the massif, the Leszczyniec metaigneous complex (LMC) is identified as the upper allochthon. It exhibits a unique structural history in comparison to the underlying allochthons, suggesting that the LMC records a distinctive tectonic history. To investigate the timing of this history, two orthogneisses were studied from a single outcrop of the LMC for in situ white mica Rb/Sr geochronology. The outcrop bears a southeast-dipping foliation (S1) and a north/northeast plunging stretching lineation (L1), defined by white mica and quartz. Quartz recrystallization textures, white mica chemistry (celadonite content of 0.23–0.47), preservation of igneous plagioclase phenocrysts, and the metamorphic mineral assemblage, all indicate maximum epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. Single-spot Rb/Sr dates were calculated from white mica using initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values obtained by titanite and epidote. Results are similar for both rocks, providing weighted averages of 352.4 ± 4.1 Ma (MSWD: 0.6; n: 24) and 349.3 ± 2.5 Ma (MSWD: 0.4; n: 31). The rocks are interpreted to have the same structural and metamorphic history; thus, a pooled weighted average of 350.1 ± 5.3 Ma (2σ) is reported as the timing of white mica (re)crystallization during S1 and L1 development in epidote–amphibolite facies conditions. This event is bracketed by the timing of blueschist-facies metamorphism for the subjacent middle (c. 364 Ma) and lower (c. 345–341 Ma) allochthons, associated with an east/southeast-plunging L1. Considering the different structural and metamorphic histories of the LMC compared to the subjacent allochthons, it is likely that the complex was extracted from the Teplá-Barrandian upper plate due to subduction erosion prior to collective exhumation and stacking of the Karkonosze-Izera Massif.

Graphical abstract