Evolution and Structure of the European Variscan Lithospheric Mantle
Abstract
Tectonically emplaced peridotites and mantle xenoliths present complementary aspects of the evolution of the Variscan lithospheric mantle. The former have diverse origins and document complex histories of melt-rock reactions, exhumation along various pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) paths, and emplacement into the crust, unravelling plate boundary evolution during Variscan subduction and collision. Mantle xenoliths exhumed by Cenozoic volcanism reveal ancient partial melting and mostly post-Variscan metasomatism episodes. Yet, their coarse-grained textures potentially record Variscan deformation. Dominantly belt-parallel fast seismic directions of the in situ Variscan lithospheric mantle may record flow normal to the convergence direction, but parallel to the boundaries of the Baltica and Avalonia blocks in central Europe, and to the main strike-slip faults and late extension in the Massif Central and Iberia.
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BibTeX
@article{ackerman2026evolution,
title = {{Evolution and Structure of the European Variscan Lithospheric Mantle}},
author = {Lukáš Ackerman and L. Gordon Medaris and Andréa Tommasi and Alain Vauchez},
journal = {Elements},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2138/gselements.21.6.408},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05814291v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evolution and Structure of the European Variscan Lithospheric Mantle
AU - Lukáš Ackerman
AU - L. Gordon Medaris
AU - Andréa Tommasi
AU - Alain Vauchez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Elements
DO - 10.2138/gselements.21.6.408
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05814291v1
AB - Tectonically emplaced peridotites and mantle xenoliths present complementary aspects of the evolution of the Variscan lithospheric mantle. The former have diverse origins and document complex histories of melt-rock reactions, exhumation along various pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) paths, and emplacement into the crust, unravelling plate boundary evolution during Variscan subduction and collision. Mantle xenoliths exhumed by Cenozoic volcanism reveal ancient partial melting and mostly post-Variscan metasomatism episodes. Yet, their coarse-grained textures potentially record Variscan deformation. Dominantly belt-parallel fast seismic directions of the in situ Variscan lithospheric mantle may record flow normal to the convergence direction, but parallel to the boundaries of the Baltica and Avalonia blocks in central Europe, and to the main strike-slip faults and late extension in the Massif Central and Iberia.
SN - 1811-5209
SN - 1811-5217
ER -