Tectonothermal history of the Hercynian continental crust of the Serre (Southern Calabria, Italy) monitored by Rb-Sr biotite resetting

In the Serre mountains of Calabria, Italy, an exposed section of the continental crust, as left by the Hercynian orogeny, consists of intermediate-lower to upper crustal units. Huge masses of granitoids separate the lower from the upper crustal units. Many mica ages have been obtained from metamorphic and plutonic rocks, which have been interpreted as reflecting continuous cooling or discrete Mesozoic events. A reappraisal of previously determined isotopic data integrated with new Rb-Sr biotite ages is presented and assessed at regional scale to better constrain the post-Hercynian geological evolution of the continental crust of the Serre. The ages cover a wide span of time and form clusters which fit a model involving magmatic, hydrothermal and tectonic events preceding and accompanying the opening and closure of the Tethyan ocean.