Correlation of the Rhenohercynian Variscides

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.