Divergent drift of Adriatic-Dinaridic and Moesian carbonate platforms during the rifting phase witnessed by Triassic MVT Pb-Zn and SEDEX deposits; a metallogenic approach

Abstract

Early-intracontinental rifting of Pangea was a result of thermal doming in Uppermost Permian time giving rise to the formation of horst-graben structures, followed by slow subsidence, marine transgression and evaporite deposition. The consequences of incipient magmatism and a high heat flow are numerous geothermal fields and subterrestrial hydrothermal siderite-barite-polysulfide deposits (PALINKAŠ et al., 2016). Advanced rifting magmatism as a successive stage in the Middle Triassic brought intensive submarine volcanism, accompanied by coeval sedimentation of chert and siliciclastics, building up volcanogenic- sedimentary formations. Volcanic activity with explosive phases and the generation of large volumes of pyroclastic rocks in the rifts produced concomitant mineralization with numerous sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) deposits of Fe-Mn-Ba-polysulfides. The passive continental margin of northern Gondwanaland is flanked by the Adria-Dinaridic carbonate platfom, while the Moesian carbonate platform is a counterpart on the European passive continental margin. They were divergently drifted in the course of the advanced rifting. A fast growing carbonate platform, developing gradually, covered evidence of the earlier intracontinental rifting and their ore formations. However, the carbonate platforms themselves host specific Pb-Zn deposits, well known as a Mississippi valley type, (MVT) or Bleiberg-Mežica type according the traditional european terminology. Triassic MVT and SEDEX deposits are symmetrically situated on the both sides of the divergent passive margins in this early history of the Tethyan ocean. The paper gives a brief description of the MVT and SEDEX deposits, in the two carbonate platforms and rifts in between, formed synchronously and in a similar manner on opposing sides of the diverging continental margin