Paleozoic evolution of the External Crystalline Massifs of the Western Alps

The External Crystalline Massifs (ECMs) of the Alps record, during the Paleozoic, the progressive closure of oceanic domains between Gondwana, Armorica and Avalonia in three contrasting tectonic domains. The eastern one shows the Early Devonian closure of the Central-European Ocean between Armorica and Gondwana along a northwest dipping subduction zone. The western domain is marked by Lower Ordovician rifting followed by Mid-Devonian obduction of the back-arc Chamrousse ophiolite. The central domain underwent Late Devonian to Dinantian extension in a back arc setting associated with southeast dipping subduction of the Saxo-Thuringian Ocean. Based on tectonostratigraphic correlations, we propose that the western domain shows an affinity to the Barrandian domain while the eastern and central domains correspond to the north-eastward extension of the Moldanubian zone, to the south of the present-day Bohemian Massif. From Mid-Carboniferous to Permian, the eastern and central domains of the ECMs, including the internal parts of the Maures Massif, Sardinia and Corsica were stretched towards the south-west along the ca. 1500 km long dextral ECMs shear zone preceding the opening of the Palaeo-Tethys ocean.