Global Early Paleozoic Orogens:Plate Reconstruction And Supercontinent

Abstract:The global-scale early Paleozoic orogens, including the Pan-African orogens, the Caledonides orogens and the early Paleozoic orogens of Paleo-AsianOcean and Tethys tectonic system which have its own characteristics. This article draws the conclusion that there are eight global-scale orogenesis related to the platecollision since the Rodinia supercontinent breakup based on the basis of integrated andcomprehensiveanalysis of late Proterozoic-early Paleozoic geological events, the eight orogenesis are:～650Ma Brasiliano related to the assembly of west Gondwana;～620Ma east Africa orogeny and 550-530 Ma Kuunga orogeny ralated to the convergence between west and east Gondwana;～440 Ma Caledonides and ～420 Ma central Europe suture resulted in the fomation of Laurussia; Appalachian orogeny controled by the interaction of Laurentia and west Gondwana. Then a comparative analysis ofeight orogeny and together with the paleomagnetic,palaeontological and paleogeographic data shows the the following plates evolution:The final reassembling of Gondwanaland was occured at about 550-530Ma after Rodinia breakup, but the splitting between Laurentia、Baltic and Amazonplate caused the ～610Ma Iapetus Ocean openning and the ～560 Ma spreading of Ran Ocean, so the Pannotia is inexistent; However, the relative northernmost Laurussian which contains Laurentia、 Baltic and Avalonia and other microcontinents, were reconverged at about ～420Ma; While, the Siberia craton is still in arc-continent collisional period. Based on the paleomagnetic date,palaeontological and paleogeographic proofs, Laurussian is extremely closed to the western edge of Gondwanaland; Besides, the early Devonian Orogenic event which occured in Venezuela、Colombia、Peru、Northern Argentina and Carolina, reflected the collisional event between North America and peri-gondwana terranes, so it is likely to exist a supercontinent at the end of early Paleozoic.