PALEOMAGNETIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE PALEOZOIC CIRCUM SOWIE-GORY MOUNTAINS OPHIOLITIC BELT IN THE SUDETES, POLAND

The investigated material comprises rocks of the Palaeozoic ophiolitic assemblage exposed around the Sowie Gory Mountains Massif in the Sude tes in the form of the three units: Sleza, Zabkowice and Nowa Ruda. Th e radiometric age (U-Pb) of the rocks, stated as 420 -/+ 20 Ma, places them in the Silurian. A palaeomagnetic study reveals the presence of four groups of palaeomagnetic poles, One of these is derived from an i solated component representing Permian overprinting. The second remane nce component fits with the Silurian results from Baltica and may ther efore be regarded as being of Silurian age, According to this interpre tation, the ophiolitic complex would not have been involved in tectoni c action after Silurian times, On the other hand, this component does not agree with the results of the neighbouring Bohemian Massif but is consistent with Late Carboniferous data of the European Variscans. In this case the other two components should be interpreted as Early- to Mid-Carboniferous overprints, This interpretation implies important st rike-slip movements, In order to exclude one of these hypotheses, more data are still needed.