Magmatic evolution in the N‑Gondwana margin related to the opening of the Rheic Ocean—evidence from the Upper Parautochthon of the Galicia‑Trás‑os‑Montes Zone and from the Central Iberian Zone (NW Iberian Massif)

Abstract

LA-MC-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon ages and wholerock geochemical data obtained from volcanic rocks erupted in the northern margin of Gondwana provide new insights on the polyphase magmatic evolution of the NW Iberian domain during the establishment of passive margin conditions in Lower Paleozoic times. The U–Pb data show crystallization ages of ca. 455 Ma for two calc-alkaline rhyolites sampled in the Upper Parautochthon of the eastern Galicia—Trás-os-Montes Zone (GTMZ) and for an intraplate basalt intruded into Middle Ordovician slates of the autochthonous series of the Central Iberian Zone (CIZ). Together with previous data, the ages obtained reveal a periodic magmatic activity across the northern Gondwana margin during the Lower Paleozoic, which is comparable to that observed in NE Iberia and in other massifs of the Mediterranean realm. Both geochronological and geochemical data reinforce paleontological and stratigraphic evidences for paleogeographic proximity between these domains and contribute to the recognition of extensional-related magmatism along the northern margin of Central Gondwana associated with the opening of the Rheic Ocean.