Person:
Sánchez Martínez, Sonia

First Name

Sonia

Last Name

Sánchez Martínez

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/75196

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Geológicas

Department

Mineralogía y Petrología

Area

Petrología y Geoquímica

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 59

Two-stage collision: Exploring the birth of Pangea in the Variscan terranes.
(Gondwana research, 2014) Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Díez Fernández, Rubén; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Gerdes, Axel; Fernández Suárez, Javier; Albert Roper, Richard
The Variscan suture exposed in NW Iberia contains a stack of terranes including two allochthonous units with continental affinity and Gondwanan provenance (Upper and Basal Units), separated by an ophiolite belt where the most common units show protolith ages at c. 395 Ma. Recent Lu–Hf zircon data obtained from these ophiolites indicate interaction between the gabbroic magmas and old continental crust. Hence, the ophiolites could not have originated in a deep ocean basin associated with a mature mid-ocean-ridge or intraoceanic subduction. The tectonothermal evolution of the continental terranes bounding the suture zone records two consecutive events of deep subduction. The Upper Units record an initial high-P/ultra-high-P metamorphic event that occurred before 400–390 Ma, while the Basal Units were affected by a second high-P/low-to-intermediate-T metamorphic event dated at c. 370 Ma. Continental subduction affected the most external margin of Gondwana and developed in a setting of dextral convergencewith Laurussia. Development of the two high-P events alternated with the opening of an ephemeral oceanic basin, probably of pull-apart type, in Early Devonian times. This ephemeral oceanic domain is suggested as the setting for the protoliths of the most common ophiolites involved in the Variscan suture. Current ideas for the assembly of Pangea advocate a single collisional event between Gondwana and Laurussia in the Carboniferous. However, the new evidence from the allochthonous terranes of the Variscan belt suggests a more complex scenario for the assembly of the supercontinent, with an interaction between the colliding continental margins that started earlier and lasted longer than previously considered. Based onmodern analogs of continental interaction, the development of complex collisions, as here suggested for Gondwana and Laurussia during the assembly of Pangea, could have been the norm rather than the exception throughout Earth history.
From Rodinia to Pangaea: Ophiolites from NW Iberia as witness for a long-lived continental margin
(Special publication - Geological Society of London, 2009) Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Fernández Suárez, Javier; Jeffries, Teresa E.
The ophiolites preserved in the Variscan suture of NW Iberia (Galicia) show a broad variability in lithology, geochemistry and chronology. This wide variety rules out the simplest plate tectonic scenario in which these ophiolites would have been exclusively related to the oceanic domain closed during the final Pangaea assembly, that is the Rheic Ocean. The ophiolitic units from Galicia also provide important data about the palaeogeography immediately preceding the opening of this ocean, and some information about pre-Gondwanan supercontinent cycles. Six different ophiolites can be distinguished in the allochthonous complexes of Galicia: the Purrido, Somozas, Bazar, Vila de Cruces, Moeche and Careón units. The Purrido Ophiolite is constituted by metagabbroic amphibolites with igneous protoliths dated at 1159 ± 39 Ma (Mesoproterozoic), and geochemical affinities typical of island-arc tholeiites. These mafic rocks can be interpreted as one of the scarce members of the pre-Rodinian ophiolites, and they were probably generated in a back-arc setting in the periphery of the West African Craton. The Somozas Ophiolitic Mélange consists of a mixing of submarine volcanic rocks (pillow-lavas, submarine breccias, pillow-breccias, hyaloclastites), diabases, gabbros, microgabbros, diorites and granitoids, surrounded by a matrix of serpentinites or, less frequently, phyllites. Two granitic samples from this mélange yield U-Pb ages ranging between c. 527 and 503 Ma (Cambrian), which together with the characteristic arc signatures obtained in all the studied igneous rocks suggest that this ophiolite was generated in a peri-Gondwanan volcanic arc. The Bazar Ophiolite is formed by different tectonic slices with high temperature amphibolites, granulites, metagabbros and ultramafic rocks. The amphibolites are the most abundant rock type and show typical N-MORB compositions with igneous protoliths dated at 498 ± 2 Ma (Cambrian). The high-temperature metamorphism affecting some parts of the unit has been dated at c. 480 Ma (lower Ordovician), and it is considered to be related to the development of an oceanic accretionary complex under the volcanic arc represented by the upper units of the allochthonous complexes of Galicia. Considering the most common palaeogeographic reconstructions for the Cambrian period, it is suggested that the oceanic lithosphere represented by the Bazar Ophiolite was formed into the peri-Gondwanan oceanic domain prior to the rifting of the Avalonian microcontinent, that is the Iapetus-Tornquist Ocean. According to current data about the Vila de Cruces Unit, it can be interpreted as a composite terrane, whose lithologies have U-Pb ages ranging from 1176-497 Ma, but constituted by metaigneous rocks with arc signatures. This dataset has been interpreted in relation to the development of a back-arc basin around the Cambrian-Ordovician limit, involving a Mesoproterozoic basement and the reactivation of a former suture. The opening of this back-arc basin can also be identified as the birth of the Rheic Ocean, and probably it would also include the lithological succession belonging to the Moeche Unit, although its basic rocks exhibit compositions with more oceanic character. Finally, the Careón Ophiolite includes remnants of an oceanic lithosphere generated in a supra-subduction zone setting at 395 ± 2 Ma (middle Devonian). This ophiolite was formed in a contractive Rheic Ocean, shortly preceding the closure of this ocean. This is the only ophiolite in Galicia that can be related to mature stages of the Rheic Ocean, although as it is commonly observed in other regions the N-MORB crust is not preserved. This common oceanic crust has disappeared during subduction, probably in an intra-oceanic setting and during the generation of the igneous section preserved in the Careón Ophiolite.
A two-stage collision at the origin of Pangea: the allochthonous Variscan terranes
(Geotemas, 2016) Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Díez Fernández, Rubén; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Gerdes, Axel; Fernández Suárez, Javier; Albert, R.; Fuenlabrada Pérez, José Manuel
The Variscan suture exposed in NW Iberia contains two allochthonous terranes with Gondwanan provenance (upper and basal units), separated by ophiolites with protolith ages at c. 395 Ma. The tectonothermal evolution of the continental terranes records two consecutive events of deep subduction. The upper units record an initial high-P/ultrahigh-P metamorphic event that occurred before 400-390 Ma, while the basal units were affected by a second high-P/low-to-intermediate-T metamorphic event at c. 370 Ma. Repeated continental subduction affecting the most external margin of Gondwana occurred in a setting of dextral convergence with Laurussia. The two high-P events alternated with the opening of an ephemeral oceanic basin, probably of pull-apart type, in Early Devonian times. This ephemeral oceanic domain is suggested as the setting for the protoliths of the most common ophiolites involved in the Variscan Orogen. Current ideas for the assembly of Pangea advocate a single collisional event in Carboniferous times. However, the new evidence from the allochthonous terranes of the Variscan Orogen suggest a more complex scenario for the assembly of the supercontinent, with an interaction between the colliding continental margins that started earlier and lasted longer than previously considered.
A peri-Gondwanan arc in NW Iberia I: Isotopic and geochemical constraints on the origin of the arc—A sedimentary approach
(Gondwana research, 2010) Fuenlabrada Pérez, José Manuel; Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Díaz García, Florentino; Castiñeiras García, Pedro
The arc-derived upper terrane in the NW Iberia Variscan belt contains a 3000 m thick turbiditic formation at its structural top. Most of the sandstones are feldspathic greywackes with a framework of quartz and weakly altered plagioclase. Rock fragments of vitric and microgranular texture are common in polymictic conglomerates and coarse-grained greywackes, together with slates, cherts and bipyramidal volcanic quartz fragments. Although recrystallization under greenschists facies conditions (chlorite and biotite zones) and the presence of two cleavages hinder detailed textural analysis, the sandstones appear to be typically immature, first-cycle sandstones. The metagreywackes have average major and trace element compositions similar to PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale), which is considered to reflect the composition of the upper continental crust. Their trace element composition is very consistent and records deposition within a convergent tectonic setting, probably in an intra-arc basin located in a volcanic arc built on thinned continental margin. Detrital zircon populations suggest a Middle Cambrian maximum depositional age (530–500 Ma) and a Gondwanan provenance located at the periphery of the West African Craton. Nd isotope data suggest mixing Ediacaran and Paleoproterozoic sources for the provenance of the greywackes, with TDM ranging between 720 and 1215 Ma with an average of 995 Ma (n=20)—an age range unrepresented in the detrital zircon population. The Nd model ages are similar to those exhibited by West Avalonia, Florida or the Carolina terrane, but younger than those of Cambrian and Ordovician sandstones and shales from the autochthonous realm. These data suggest a westernmost location along the Gondwanan margin for the upper terrane of NW Iberia relative to other terranes located in the footwall of the Variscan suture, consistent with several previously proposed paleogeographic models for the NW Iberia terranes.
Opening and closure of Cadomian peri-Gondwanan oceans: age and evolution of the Mérida Ophiolite (SW Iberia)
(International geology review, 2022) Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Rojo-Pérez, Esther; Díez Fernández, Rubén; Albert, R.; Novo Fernández, Irene; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Andonaegui Moreno, María Del Pilar; Moreno Martín, Diana; Gerdes, Axel; Garcia Casco, Antonio
In the SW Iberian Massif, the Ossa-Morena Complex contains a stack of units of different origin and tectonothermal evolution. Individual terranes of the complex record a Cadomian history, traditionally interpreted in relation to the dynamics of a peri-Gondwanan volcanic arc. The interpretation of the Cadomian terranes is a key issue in the reconstruction of the Ediacaran margin of Gondwana in NW Africa. In the Mérida Massif, a mafic – ultramafic unit stacked between two units of continental or arc affinity is interpreted as a Cadomian ophiolite, the Mérida Ophiolite. Within it, mafic lithologies dated at c. 596 Ma (U-Pb in zircon) have calc-alkaline or tholeiitic affinity, indicating generation in a supra-subduction zone setting. The ophiolite shows a main event of Cadomian metamorphism (c. 590 Ma, U-Pb garnet dating) with a prograde P-T path and peak conditions at c. 700°C and 8 kbar. The mafic rocks show Nd isotopic compositions clearly different from those characteristics of the mafic rocks formed in the axial zone of the volcanic arc. Hence, the Mérida Ophiolite probably represents oceanic lithosphere of a back-arc basin, opened between the volcanic arc and the outer margin of Gondwana. Closure of the back-arc occurred during collision of the volcanic arc with the margin of Gondwana (starting at c. 590 Ma), which caused rapid accretion of the back-arc oceanic lithosphere beneath the arc and prograde metamorphism typical of subduction inception. The Mérida Ophiolite was finally obducted above the continental margin of Gondwana, presently preserved in gneissic unit piled beneath the ophiolite. Cadomian evolution of this peri-Gondwanan arc section continued with new tectonothermal events dated in the range 560–540 Ma that alternated with episodes of intense magmatic activity and preceded the collapse of the magmatic arc and its erosive levelling, followed by the generation of a new episode of intense magmatic activity in the arc and the unconformable deposition of the Ediacaran-Cambrian Malcocinado Formation.
A pre-Rodinian ophiolite involved in the Variscan suture of Galicia (Cabo Ortegal Complex, NW Spain)
(Journal of the Geological Society, 2006) Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Jeffries, Teresa E.; Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Fernández Suárez, Javier; García Sánchez, Raquel
U–Pb dating of zircons from a metagabbro of the Purrido amphibolitic unit (Cabo Ortegal Complex, NW Iberian Massif) yielded an age of 1159 ± 39 Ma, interpreted to approximate the crystallization age of the gabbroic protolith. Considering the arc affinity of the metagabbroic rocks, the unit is interpreted as a pre-Rodinian ophiolite developed in a back-arc setting. It is suggested that the ophiolite was obducted over the West African terranes during the assembly of Rodinia. There, this terrane remained tectonically stable and facing an ocean for a long time, and eventually became part of the Gondwanan margin. The ophiolite was finally involved in the Variscan suture of Galicia where it is sandwiched between Palaeozoic rocks. The Purrido unit is so far the only example of a Mesoproterozoic ophiolite in the European Variscan belt, where pre-Neoproterozoic rocks are very scarce and restricted to small exposures.
Geochemistry in earth sciences: a brief overview
(Journal of iberian geology, 2020) Fernández Suárez, Javier; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Fuenlabrada Pérez, José Manuel
In this contribution we present a succinct overview of the role of Geochemistry in the Earth Sciences. Our idea is to offer a “bird’s eye” perspective of the advent of Geochemistry and its historical development and the advances and milestones in analytical techniques that led Geochemistry to its actual place in the context of Earth Sciences. Finally, we offer a summary of some relevant applications of Geochemistry in the study of a variety of geological problems.
Ophiolites in the Variscan suture of NW Iberia II: Geochemistry and classification
(Geotemas, 2016) Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Arenas Martín, Ricardo
The lithological and geochemical features of most of the NW Iberia ophiolites show they are not common MOR types. They instead formed in SSZ setting or during the opening of pull-apart type ephemeral basins. Perhaps the only exception is the Bazar Ophiolite, which has a more representative oceanic composition that seems to reflect a Cambrian accretion zone of peri-Gondwanan oceanic material below a magmatic arc system. Together with the Vila de Cruces Ophiolite, also generated during Cambrian times in relation to the opening of a back-arc basin, both reflect somewhat the earliest stages of the opening of the Rheic Ocean, the largest Paleozoic ocean generated in the peri-Gondwanan setting. The Devonian ophiolites (Careón, Purrido and Moeche ophiolites) represent the remnants of an oceanic lithosphere generated in an ephemeral basin, probably a pull-apart type, developed during dextral convergence. This basin probably opened at c. 400-390 Ma, apparently after a first interaction between the continental margins of Gondwana and Laurussia. The two ophiolitic belts in Galicia preserve evidence for the complex tectonothermal events that occurred during the assembly of Pangea. This collision was not simple, but occurred in at least two distinct events separated by the opening of pull-apart basins.
A rootless suture and the loss of the roots of a mountain chain: The Variscan belt of NW Iberia
(Comptes rendus. Géoscience, 2009) Martínez Catalán, José R.; Arenas Martín, Ricardo; Abati Gómez, Jacobo; Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Díaz García, Florentino; Fernández Suárez, Javier; González Cuadra, Pablo; Castiñeiras García, Pedro; Gómez Barreiro, Juan; Díez Montes, Alejandro; González Clavijo, Emilio; Rubio Pascual, Francisco J.; Andonaegui Moreno, María Del Pilar; Jeffries, Teresa E.; Alcock, James E.; Díez Fernández, Rubén; López Carmona, Alicia
Ophiolites of different Paleozoic ages occur in North-West (NW) Iberia in a rootless suture representing the remnants of the Rheic Ocean. Associated allochthonous terranes in the hanging- and foot-walls of the suture derive from the former margins, whereas the relative autochthon corresponds to the Paleozoic passive margin of northern Gondwana. The Paleozoic tectonic evolution of this part of the circum-Atlantic region is deduced from the stratigraphical, petrological, structural and metamorphic evolution of the different units and their ages. The tectonic reconstruction covers from Cambro-Ordovician continental rifting and the opening of the Rheic Ocean to its Middle to Upper Devonian closure. Then, the Variscan Laurussia–Gondwana convergence and collision is briefly described, from its onset to the late stages of collapse associated with the demise of the orogenic roots. [RÉSUMÉ] Une suture sans racines et la perte des racines d’une chaîne montagneuse : la chaîne varisque du Nord-Ouest de l’Ibérie. Des ophiolites d’âges différents affleurent dans le Nord-Ouest de l’Ibérie dans une suture sans racines, témoin de l’océan Rhéïque. Les terrains allochtones sur et sous la suture dérivent de ses deux marges, tandis que l’autochtone relatif appartient à la marge passive du Nord de Gondwana. On peut déduire l’évolution des plaques dans cette partie de la région circum-Atlantique à partir des données stratigraphiques, pétrologiques, structurales, métamorphiques et géochronologiques. Cette évolution inclut le développement d’un rift continental et l’ouverture de l’océan Rhéïque pendant le Cambro-Ordovicien ainsi que sa fermeture au Dévonien moyen à supérieur. On décrit aussi l’évolution de la convergence et collision varisque entre Laurussia et Gondwana, du début jusqu’aux derniers stades d’un effondrement associé à la perte des racines orogéniques.
Ophiolites in the Variscan suture of NW Iberia I: Distribution and
(Geotemas, 2016) Sánchez Martínez, Sonia; Arenas Martín, Ricardo
In the NW Iberian Massif, in the Galicia region, several allochthonous complexes (Cabo Ortegal, Órdenes and Malpica-Tui) contain a rootless Variscan suture that can be followed along the belt. The allochthonous complexes include two different continental terranes and several ophiolitic units sandwiched in between them. Two different ophiolitic belts exist, with different structural position and chronology. The lower ophiolitic units consist of the Bazar and Vila de Cruces ophiolites and are characterized by c. 500 Ma protolith ages. The upper ophiolitic units are composed of the Careón, Purrido and Moeche ophiolites, and contain mafic-ultramafic sequences dated at c. 395 Ma. This younger group represents the most common ophiolites in the Variscan Orogen. Moreover, a thick serpentinite mélange (Somozas Mélange) can also be included among the ophiolitic sequences of the Variscan suture.