Peri-Gondwanan provenance of pre-Triassic metamorphic sequences in the western Alpujarride nappes (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain)

The main orogenic reworking of the Betic Cordillera, in southern Spain, is a consequence of a short but severe Alpine event of Aquitanian to Burdigalian age that almost erased any evidence of pre-Mesozoic orogenies. New SHRIMP analyses on zircons from high-grade metamorphic rocks of tectonic units underlying the Ronda peridotites (Alpujarride Complex, Betic Cordillera), the largest exposed bodies of subcontinental peridotites in the world, yield mostly Neoproterozoic (c. 624 Ma) and Paleoproterozoic (2000 to 2500 Ma) ages, with minor Variscan (c. 292 Ma) and Miocene (20.1 to 21.9 Ma) components. The two clusters of Proterozoic ages point to provenance of detrital zircons from different source areas of the West African Craton. These new data help to improve the pre-Mesozoic geodynamic history of the Betic Cordillera, a piece of the Western Mediterranean puzzle, which can be interpreted as an accreted ribbon terrane formed along the northern margin of Gondwana.