A pattern of tectonic zones in the western part of the East European Platform

Abstract

The present north-eastern and south-western limits of the East European Platform are formed by long and deep faulted troughs with some elements of strike-slip movements. Between these westerly converging, craton margins, four other subparallel tectonic zones are proposed, with a mutual spacing of a few hundred kilometres. The western part of the platform is thus divided into five major blocks, which are further transected by some series of faults with mainly north-westerly and north-easterly, northerly and easterly trends. Geological and geophysical records indicate the pervasive character of these major tectonic zones, in which intermittent magmatic activity and mineralization of heavy metals is found. The lineaments are considered to have persisted from Archaean time and been re-activated during successively younger orogenies in the platform. This pattern of tectonic zones is assumed to represent a structural anisotropy, imprinted in the crust and the upper mantle at a relatively early period in the history of the earth. © 1976 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.