African/Amazonian Proterozoic correlations of Iberia: A detrital zircon U-Pb study of early Cambrian conglomerates from the Sierra de la Demanda (northern Spain)

Unfoliated conglomerates define the base of an Early Cambrian transgressive system tract in the Sierra de la Demanda. Correlations allow us to bracket the corresponding sechron between 532 Ma and 520-521 Ma. These conglomerates contain sandstone and metamorphic quartzite pebbles carrying detrital tourmaline, rutile and zircon grains of plutonic or medium-to high-grade metamorphic derivation. Zircon detrital grains exhibit concordant or sub-concordant U/Pb ages clustered in various groups, including Neoarchean (2.52-2.56 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (1.71-2.02 Ga), and Mesoproterozoic (1.47 and ca. 1.1-1.0 Ga), the latter representative of orogenic magmatism related to Rodinia supercontinental assembly. The Neoproterozoic is represented by concordant ages in the range 750-880 Ma and by Cryogenian discordant ages. Ediacaran zircons cluster in two subsets ranging between 590 and 680 Ma and 560-585 Ma, both including several concordant ages. They reflect formation of juvenile crust in magmatic arc and back-arc basin settings. Zircon ages younger than 520-525 Ma postdate the depositional age of the conglomerate and may represent Hercynian overprinting. Bibliographic data overlooked in other provenance studies indicate that Mesoproterozoic relics as those presented here should no longer be considered of exotic origin with respect to a Gondwanan (West African) affinity of the Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic of Iberia. The proposed source area, the Ebro Massif of central-north Iberia, currently is concealed under a kilometer-thick Paleozoic or younger cover. Its tectonic organization would compare to that of the North African or Amazonian cratons (including Mesoproterozoic components), rather than to the Neoproterozoic arc settings described in northwest and southwest Iberia.