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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1990; v. 51; p. 305-311;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1990.051.01.19
© 1990 Geological Society of London

Armorican Massif

The Cadomian orogeny and its influence on the Variscan evolution of western Europe

J. Cogné

Centre Armoricain d’Etude Structurale des Socles, (Laboratoire propre du CNRS), Institut de Géologie, Université de Rennes, 35042 RENNES Cedex, France

The south-north zonation of the Variscan orogen in Western Europe, from Ligerian internal mobile zones in the south, to Hercynian external ensialic zones in the north, appears to be controlled by the north-south zonation in the older Cadomian orogenic belt which was developed in the northern margin of Gondwana. A juvenile crust (mostly younger than 650–700 Ma) was built up from Brioverian times onward in the Proto-Tethys domain between two Precambrian supercontinents. There are a few basement relicts (2000 Ma) preserved within this zone which have been derived from the Eburneantype massifs of Gondwana. The mobility and progressive consolidation of the Proto-Tethys zone are both directly linked to successive distensive and convergent tectonic episodes which characterize the geodynamic history of this zone and which results in the superposition of the Cadomian, Variscan and finally Alpine orogenies.