HEAVY-MINERAL ANALYSIS AND TYPOLOGY OF DETRITAL ZIRCONS - A NEW APPROACH TO PROVENANCE STUDY (SAXOTHURINGIAN FLYSCH, GERMANY)

Heavy-mineral analyses of Famennian and Visean Saxothuringian graywack es yielded stable, zircon-dominated spectra. The typology of the detri tal zircons was examined using Pupin's typology method in order to tes t the application of that method to detrital zircons. The results of h eavy-mineral and zircon-typology analyses allow subdivision of the aut ochthonous Saxothuringian flysch (''Thuringian Facies'') into three gr oups (Famennian flysch of the Erbendorf Paleozoic; older part (Leheste ner Schichten) and younger part (Teuschnitzer Schichten) of the Carbon iferous flysch), The allochthonous Saxothuringian flysch (''Bavarian F acies'') can be correlated with the older part of the Carboniferous Th uringian flysch. Within the flysch of the ''Thuringian Facies'', the p roportions of reddish zircons decrease from the Famennian to the young est Visean flysch sediments. Both the Famennian graywackes and the you ngest units of the Saxothuringian flysch are dominated by euhedral zir cons but can be distinguished by the presence of different zircon type s. The older part of the Carboniferous Thuringian flysch is dominated by rounded zircons. From the methodological standpoint, our study demo nstrates that zircon typology is a useful tool to characterize detrita l zircon suites. It allows refinement of subdivisions based upon stabl e heavy-mineral spectra. In combination with data from previous studie s, our results permit us to outline the development of the provenance area of the Saxothuringian flysch.