THE PROTOMOESIAN MICROCONTINENT OF THE BALKAN PENINSULA - A PERI-GONDWANALAND PIECE

Based on differences in their pre-Palaeozoic and Palaeozoic developmen t, the Protomoesian microcontinent is divided into two terranes: the B alkan and the Moesian. A Precambrian-Cambrian ophiolite-island-arc ass emblage, unconformably overlain by a Palaeozoic sequence, forms the fi rst terrane. The pre-Palaeozoic basement of the Moesian terrane consis ts of Proterozoic-Vendian metamorphics of continental origin. The diff erences in the development of the Palaeozoic rocks are also significan t reason for dividing the Balkan and the Moesian terrane. Numerous fea tures of the Palaeozoic sediments (palaeoclimatologic, palaeobiogeogra phic, palaeomagnetic) from both terranes, and the Pan-African affiliat ions of the ophiolite-island-arc assemblage, identify the Protomoesian microcontinent as a peri-Gondwanaland piece.