Stratigraphy, Structure, and Igneous Activity

As laid out in Chapters V.B.1 and V.B.2, the parautochthonous Thuringian fades of the Saxothuringian Belt has been overthrust from the SE by nappes, which have survived in the core of the Vogtland Synform. These are the tectonic klippen of Munchberg, Wildenfels, and Frankenberg (in order from W to E; see Fig. 1). The klippen represent, in fact, erosional remnants of one or several nappe piles, which were originally more extensive, and possibly laterally continuous with each other. The tectonic sequence in each of these klippen is characterized by inversion of the stratigraphy and of the metamorphic grades. The lower nappes comprise (in order from bottom to top): proximal Early Carboniferous flysch, Silurian/Devonian bedded chert, and a volcanosedimentary sequence of largely Ordovician age. These very-low-grade, fossiliferous sequences are overlain by a number of metamorphic thrust sheets. This chapter describes the lithology, tectonic sequence, and internal structure of the metamorphic nappes in the klippen, and of their probable equivalents at the northwestern margin of the Moldanubian Region, from which they are derived. We set out from the Munchberg klippe, which is the largest, most differentiated and best studied example of its kind, and then briefly discuss the closely related units. Details on the metamorphic evolution are available in the contribution by Blumel (Chap. V.C.2)