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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1984; v. 14; p. 177-183;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1984.014.01.17
© 1984 Geological Society of London

Ireland

Does the Variscan front in Ireland follow a dextral shear zone?

M. D. Max & J. P. Lefort

Geological Survey of Ireland, 14 Hume Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
CNRS Centre Armoricain L’Etude Structurals des Socles, Institut de Géologie de l’Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France

The line commonly taken in Ireland as marking the ‘Variscan front’ passes in a gentle arc from Dungarven Bay in the east to Dingle Bay in the west. This is the most convenient course for the northern margin of the Rheno-Hercynian zone through Ireland and marks a primary Variscan structural line. The line follows thrusts and steep faults in the west and a series of less well seen strike faults along the southern limb of a tight syncline in the east from Mallow to Dungarvan. Although the line is thus structurally composite, and stratigraphic evidence shows that it was locally of indirect influence during deposition of the Upper Palaeozoic sediments, both structural and geophysical evidence suggests that a dextral strike-slip component was associated with this line.

Strike-slip movement along with N-S compression is shown by widespread E-W horizontal strain markers, strike faults and rotated fold traces which formed at the same time as the cleavage. Basement control of structures to the south of the line is not discernible while to the north rejuvenation of Lower Palaeozoic structures in the basement is common.





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E. A. Williams
Flexural cantilever models of extensional subsidence in the Munster Basin (SW Ireland) and Old Red Sandstone fluvial dispersal systems
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2000; 180: 239 - 268.
[Abstract] [PDF]