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Geochemistry of the Peramora Mélange and Pulo do Lobo schist: geochemical investigation and tectonic interpretation of mafic mélange in the Pangean suture zone, Southern Iberia

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Abstract

The Peramora Mélange is part of an accretionary complex between the South Portuguese Zone (a fragment of Laurussia) and the Ossa Morena Zone (para-autochthonous Gondwana) and is an expression of the Pangean suture zone in southwestern Iberia. The suture zone is characterized by fault-bounded units of metasedimentary rocks, mélanges, and mafic complexes. Detailed geologic mapping of the Peramora Mélange reveals a complex pattern of imbricated schists and mafic block-in-matrix mélanges. Geochemical signatures of the Pulo do Lobo schist (PDL) are consistent with derivation from both mafic and continental sources. The mafic block-in-matrix mélange displays normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (NMORB) geochemical signature, juvenile Sm–Nd isotopic compositions, and a range of zircon ages similar to those observed in the PDL, suggesting a sedimentary component. Taken together, these data suggest a complex tectonic history characterized by erosion of a NMORB source, mélange formation, and imbrication during underplating occurring during the final stages of continent–continent collision.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Moritz Kirsch and Dr. Greg Shellnut for their constructive and insightful reviews and Jarda Dostal for editorial handling. This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery grants to JAB and JBM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, B2G 2W5, Canada

    Dustin R. L. Dahn, James A. Braid, J. Brendan Murphy & Nicole Dupuis

  2. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), c/Ríos Rosas 23, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Cecilio Quesada

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada

    Christopher R. M. McFarlane

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  1. Dustin R. L. Dahn
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  2. James A. Braid
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Correspondence to James A. Braid.

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Dahn, D.R.L., Braid, J.A., Murphy, J.B. et al. Geochemistry of the Peramora Mélange and Pulo do Lobo schist: geochemical investigation and tectonic interpretation of mafic mélange in the Pangean suture zone, Southern Iberia. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 103, 1415–1431 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-014-1024-7

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