PALEOMAGNETISM AND EVOLUTION OF THE SCYTHIAN-TURAN BLOCK FROM THE EARLY PERMIAN TO THE LATE TRIASSIC

The palaeomagnetic studies carried out on Permian to Triassic formatio ns from the northwest part of the Great Caucasus and from southwest Tu rkmenistan question the existing palaeogeographic models of evolution of this Central Asia region. The impressive differences in latitude be tween the Scythian and Turan plates, and the East European Platform du ring the Permo-Triassic, lead us to suppose that the Scythian-Turan bl ocks moved away from Eurasia during the Permian in a large transversal westward movement. The docking of this block onto the southern border of Eurasia probably occurred at the end of the Triassic. ((C) Academi e des sciences / Elsevier, Paris.).