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Synthesis of the Caledonian Rocks of Britain pp 187–205Cite as

A Comparison of the Lower Palaeozoic Volcanic Rocks on Either Side Of The Caledonian Suture In The British Isles

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Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 175))

Abstract

South of the suture Lower Palaeozoic volcanics are almost all subduction-related and are found on a plate margin zoned from a continental foreland in the southeast across the Welsh back-arc ensialic marginal basin, to the Irish and Lake District compound volcanic arc in the north-west, the inner part erupted onto continental crust, the outer less obviously so.

North of the suture there is evidence of obduction of oceanic crust in the Ballantrae ophiolite and part of the Highland Border Complex and of oceanic components in the Southern Uplands accretionary prism. The only pre-Devonian subduction related magmatism is seen in S Mayo, though granitic clasts at Girvan and elsewhere suggest an early arc in the Midland Valley. It is not until the Siluro-Devonian post-orogenic period that widespread calc-alkaline volcanism is seen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

    C J Stillman

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  1. C J Stillman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, UK

    D. J. Fettes

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    A. L. Harris

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© 1986 D.Reidel Publishing Company

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Stillman, C.J. (1986). A Comparison of the Lower Palaeozoic Volcanic Rocks on Either Side Of The Caledonian Suture In The British Isles. In: Fettes, D.J., Harris, A.L. (eds) Synthesis of the Caledonian Rocks of Britain. NATO ASI Series, vol 175. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4654-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4654-5_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

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