Correlation of the Rhenohercynian Variscides

Abstract
Recent structural and stratigraphical data from the Rhenohercynian Variscides of Belgium, Germany and South Cornwall indicate tectonic continuity within this zone prior to disruption along a late Carboniferous dextral transcurrent fault. This extends from the Bristol Channel to the Vosges, parallel to similar lineaments of Variscan age in Europe and North America. Consequently, a tectonic model for south Cornwall is extrapolated to Europe and a plate tectonic setting for the evolution of the north European Variscides by the closure of an oceanic basin is discussed.