TS7.5/GD8.5 Variscan and Altai orogens in Europe and Asia and their relative contribution to the building of Pangea supercontinent/Prototethys – Paleotethys – Neotethys: How to build the southern-central Eurasian continent (co-organized) |
Convener: Franz Neubauer | Co-Conveners: Yunpeng Dong , Karel Schulmann , Wenjiao Xiao |
The construction of the western part of the Pangea supercontinent occurred through recurrent amalgamation of peri-Gondwanan fragments and closure of Rheic Ocean in the Devonian-Carboniferous. This Wilson type process formed the linear Variscan orogen in Europe and North America. Likewise, the Alpine-Himalayan belt and neighbour units in the Euroasia are built by opening and closure of a succession of oceans, which are known as the Prototethys, Paleotethys and Neotethys. The opening of the Rheic and subsequent Tethyan Oceans by splitting off continental pieces from Gondwana and drifting towards northern continents are fairly well known, although the underlying geodynamic processes of the accretion and collision of these microcontinents are still enigmatic. On the other hand, eastern Pangea and later Asian continent were simultaneously constructed by accretion of the peri-Pacific oceanic crust and continental ribbons along the Siberian Craton. The unravelling of the Rheic and Prototethys history and their correlation with Asian oceanic realms forming the Central Asian Orogenic belt is still in its infancy. Consequently, the session aims to contribute to a much better understanding of geodynamic processes and along-strike correlation of major Rheic, Tethyan and Paleo-Pacific oceanic remnants from Europe to China.