Geochemistry and Sm–Nd isotopic sources of Late Ediacaran siliciclastic series in the Ossa–Morena Complex: Iberian–Bohemian correlations

Abstract

The Cadomian basement in central and southern Europe is composed by Ediacaran–Early Cambrian sequences that appear dismembered along the Variscan Orogen. These ancient series contain geochemical and isotopic keys related to their deposition in different basins located along the paleo margin of Gondwana. The southwest of Iberian Massif (Ossa–Morena Complex) contains an excellent representation of Cadomian basement. The oldest sedimentary succession of this region, the Serie Negra Group (c. 600–541 Ma), is composed by the Montemolín Formation which consists of metapelites, metagreywackes and abundant amphibolites; and the Tentudía Formation which consists of metagreywackes, black quartzites and metapelites. The whole-rock and Nd isotopic geochemistry of the Montemolín and Tentudía formations, are consistent with a deposition in a back-arc or fore-arc setting. Their Nd isotopic composition shows highly negative εNd(t) values in a range between − 6.9 and − 11.5, resulting in old Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages between 1.9 and 1.7 Ga. The Nd isotopic signatures obtained for the Cadomian basement in the Iberian Massif are almost identical to those obtained for equivalent sedimentary series in the Saxo-Thuringian Zone (Bohemian Massif), where Nd model ages range between 2 and 1.6 Ga. The limited variability of these Nd-TDM ages suggests that the southwestern Iberian and North Bohemian series shared a common source during Ediacaran times, which would be located close to the periphery of the West African Craton. The Nd isotopic data considered herein provide solid evidence about the peri-Gondwanan location and correlation between the Cadomian basement of southwestern Iberia and North Bohemia.