Shear in the tethys and the permian paleomagnetism in the Southern Alps, including new results

Abstract

To verify paleomagnetic proof for megatectonic translation in the Tethys a large collection of samples from a key area, the Bolzano Quartz Porphyry Plateau in the Southern Alps, was examined. Their natural remanent magnetization was analyzed with thermal, and mainly alternating field demagnetization. The result is a well-established paleomagnetic direction of D: 150° and I: -19.5O ( a95 = 4.9), obtained from 152 samples from 39 sites distributed over 12 volcanic units. It is argued that the inclination of this result is not significantly different from that which can be extrapolated for the Southern Alps from Early Permian paleomagnetic directions of the stable European shield. Consequently it is concluded that a paleomagnetic indication for megatectonic translation of the Southern Alps is virtually absent. But a large counterclockwise deviation of the declination is evident, and is easily explained by a counterclockwise rotation of 50° of the Southern Alps with respect to stable Europe. Since the paleomagnetic direction of the Early Permian volcanics of the Southern Alps fits in reasonably well with the (poorly known) Early Permian paleomagnetic pattern of Africa, a coherence between both regions is presumed.