Variscan zircons everywhere? Multi-stage sedimentary recycling in Central Europe

Abstract

Abstract The North German Basin is part of a Central European-wide sedimentary recycling system that has existed since at least the Neoproterozoic. Understanding the evolution of such a system is crucial for further studies, as the North German Basin inherits vast natural gas resources and may act as an intermediate sink for younger strata. This study presents new detrital zircon morphology, trace element and U–Pb age data obtained from Upper Rotliegend II strata (Upper Permian). Detrital zircon dating revealed Cambrian, Carboniferous and Permian main age clusters. There are also several minor Paleo-, Meso- and Neoproterozoic age clusters. Zircon grain morphologies show completely unrounded to completely rounded grains throughout each age range. The heterogeneity of the data is key to deciphering the sedimentary history of the Central German Basin, as the basin fill is most likely a mixture of (repeatedly) recycled material and also directly derived from bedrock sources. These results are supported by trace element data, which show a wide range of values indicating different magma sources. This study further explores the dispersal patterns of detrital zircon over time and demonstrates their complexity. Supplementary material: Detrital zircon morphometrics, trace element data and U–Pb isotopic data are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6664773