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Strike-slip, terrane accretion and the pre-Carboniferous evolution of the Midland Valley of Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

E. R. Phillips ,
R. A. Smith  and
S. Carroll
E. R. Phillips
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA
R. A. Smith
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA
S. Carroll
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA
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Abstract

The development of the Midland Valley of Scotland from Silurian times is re-examined. Earlier (Cambro-Ordovician) terrane accretion of the Midland Valley Terrane to the Laurentian continent by sinistral strike-slip continued to control basin development, sedimentary facies distribution and deformation from Llandovery through to at least early Devonian times. A widespread Mid- to Late-Wenlock strike-slip event has been recognised. This event is variable in its effect, but may indicate a direct link between the Midland Valley, Southern Uplands and Grampian terranes, suggesting that the terranes were juxtaposed by Mid-Wenlock times. In the Midland Valley this event was followed by a renewed phase of basin development with the deposition of ?Pridoli-Lower Devonian clastic sediments which was interrupted by the Lower Devonian volcanic event. There was a shift northwards in the focus of Lower Devonian basin development which was accompanied by a diachronous deformation event across the Midland Valley which resulted in inversion/uplift from early to middle Devonian times. This phase of deformation, uplift and erosion may be related to end-Caledonian transpression.

Keywords

Midland ValleyLower Palaeozoic rocksSiluro-Devonianprovenancebasin evolutionstrike-slipterrane accretion
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 88 , Issue 4 , 1997 , pp. 209 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1997

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