Paleomagnetism of Ordovician–Silurian Volcanics on the Western Slope of the Southern Urals

Abstract

This work presents new paleomagnetic data on previously dated Ordovician–Silurian volcanics from four sections in the western framework of the Taratash massif (Southern Urals). The geological data indicate that the region under study was a part of the Baltica paleocontinent since the early Mesoproterozoic. The paleomagnetic data obtained for rocks of the westernmost part of the Ural Fold Belt show no evidence of local and regional rotations relative to Baltica. Consequently, the pole obtained can be extrapolated to the entire platform. The result obtained is characterized by a rather high degree of reliability and can clarify the trajectory of the apparent polar wander path (APWP) for the Baltica paleocontinent during the Late Ordovician–Early Silurian, where reliable paleomagnetic data are not available, and can be used for further paleoreconstructions.