U/Pb dating of detrital zircons from late Palaeozoic deposits of Bel’kovsky Island (New Siberian Islands): critical testing of Arctic tectonic models

A shift in the provenance of Upper Devonian–Permian clastic rocks on Bel’kovsky Island, New Siberian Islands, is revealed through U/Pb dating of detrital zircons. The study shows that while Upper Devonian–Carboniferous turbidites originated from Grenvillian, Sveconorwegian, and Timanian sources—similar to those in Severnaya Zemlya and Wrangel Island—lower Permian deposits exhibit a strong affinity with the Uralian Orogen. This suggests either a late Carboniferous to Permian movement of continental blocks toward the Uralian Orogen or long-distance sediment transport across the Barents shelf, challenging existing Arctic tectonic models.

Ershova, V. B., Prokopiev, A. V., Khudoley, A. K., Sobolev, N. N., & Petrov, E. O. (2015). U/Pb dating of detrital zircons from late Palaeozoic deposits of Bel’kovsky Island (New Siberian Islands): critical testing of Arctic tectonic models. International Geology Review, 57(2), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2014.999358