The Sudetic geological mosaic : Insights into the root of the Variscan orogen

The Sudetes in the NE part of the Bohemian Massif stretch between the NW–SE-trending Odra Fault Zone and Elbe Fault Zone and represent a structural mosaic which was shaped, predominantly, during the Variscan orogeny. They are composed of various geological units, including basement units in which Neoproterozoic to Carboniferous rocks are exposed, and a post-orogenic cover of younger deposits. During the long history of geological research, the Sudetes have become a “type locality” for a range of important geological phenomena, such as granites and orthogneisses, ophiolites and (meta)volcanic sequences, granulites, eclogites and blueschists, nappe tectonics and terrane concepts. In spite of significant recent achievements, many key problems need further study, and a selection of them is proposed in this paper: (a) the presence of older, Neoproterozoic (Cadomian) rocks and their position within the Variscan collage, (b) the character and emplacement setting of Palaeozoic, pre-Variscan sedimentary successions and magmatic complexes (including ophiolites), (c) structural evolution, metamorphism (in particular HP/T grades) and exhumation of deeper crustal blocks during the Variscan orogeny, and (d) post-orogenic development. Future investigations would require an interdisciplinary approach, combining various geological disciplines: structural geology, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics and geochronology, and, also, multilateral interlaboratory cooperation.