Magnetic fabric of Ocean Plate Stratigraphy mélanges: a tool for unravelling protracted histories of oceanic plates from seafloor spreading to tectonic emplacement into accretionary wedges

Abstract

Multiple magnetic fabrics, referred to as F1–F5, were revealed through the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility in an Ocean Plate Stratigraphy (OPS) mélange of the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian Blovice accretionary complex, Bohemian Massif. The fabrics post-date the formation of the mélange and the rotation of basalt blocks within the matrix and are interpreted in terms of a complex structural history of the mélange. Excluding local fabrics, the F1 fabric formed earlier along the mélange belt, recording shortening of the accretionary wedge front, whereas the higher grade F4 fabric pervasively overprinted both blocks and matrix in the SW part of the belt, recording shearing and vertical shortening at deeper structural levels closer to a megathrust surface. The preservation of angular relationships between the F1 and F4 fabrics across different parts of the mélange suggests that the blocks were only strained and not rotated during deformation, exemplifying the notion that the OPS mélanges may be a product of deformation at very shallow levels. The F1–F5 fabrics may be viewed as snapshots in a protracted evolution of OPS, where the earlier fabrics in basalt blocks may record the travel path of an oceanic plate from mid-ocean ridge towards the trench, before being overprinted in the accretionary wedge. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Ophiolites, melanges and blueschists collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/ophiolites-melanges-and-blueschists Supplementary material: Thin-section photomicrographs, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data and summary diagrams for magnetic fabric types are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7008173