--> Early Paleozoic Paleogeography of the Eastern European Platform

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Early Paleozoic Paleogeography of the Eastern European Platform

Abstract

The authors present the detailed plate tectonic, paleogeographic, paleoenvironment and paleolithofacies maps of the Eastern European Platform during Early Paleozoic times. intervals. Eight maps were constructed using a plate tectonic model based on PLATES, GPLATES and PALEOMAP software. The plate tectonic reconstruction programs takes tectonic features in the form of digitised data files, assembles those features in accordance with user specified rotation criteria The rotation file contains a list of finite rotations between pairs of tectonic elements, at different episodes of time, with brief bibliographic notes or general comments for each individual rotation. Information derived from global and regional papers followed by the authors own research were posted on the maps and the detailed paleoenvironment and paleolithofacies zones were distinguished within the platforms, basins and ridges. The Eastern European Platform belonged to the Baltica plate during Cambrian and Ordovician times. Baltica originated as a result of disintegration of supercontinent Pannotia, which occurred during Early Cambrian. Baltica included part of Poland and adjacent areas northeast of Transeuropean Suture Zone, which ran from Scania through Warsaw, margin of Eastern Carpathians to the Black Sea. Early Ordovician was the time of maximum dispersion of continents during the Paleozoic. Avalonia probably started to drift from Gondwana and move towards Baltica in the late Tremadocian and was in a drift stage by the Llanvirnian. Between Gondwana, Baltica, Avalonia and Laurentia, a large longitudinal oceanic unit, known as the Rheic Ocean was formed. Avalonia was probably sutured to Baltica by the end of Ordovician or in the Early Silurian. This process was dominated by a strike-slip suturing of the two continents, rather than by full-scale continent-continent collision. Silurian was a time of Caledonian orogeny, closing of Early Paleozoic oceans, collision of Baltica with Avalonia and Laurentia and origin of supercontinent Laurussia.