New whole-rock geochemical and coupled U–Pb and Lu–Hf LA-ICP-MS zircon data of metasedimentary rocks of the Austroalpine, South Alpine and Penninic basement domains are presented, to disentangle the pre-Variscan tectonic evolution of the proto-Alps. The studied units seem to record distinct stages of protracted Late Ediacaran to Carboniferous tectonosedimentary processes prior to the Variscan collision. In the case of Austroalpine and South Alpine units, nevertheless, no major differences in terms of provenance are observed, since most detrital zircon samples are characterized by a major Pan-African peak. Their detrital zircon spectra record a provenance from the northeastern Saharan Metacraton and the Sinai basement at the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield, being thus located along the eastern Early Paleozoic northern Gondwana margin, whereas sources located further west are inferred for the Penninic Unit, which might have been placed close to the Moldanubian Unit of the Bohemian Massif. In any case, it is thus clear that the Alpine basement remained in a close position to the Gondwana mainland at least during the Early Paleozoic. The Late Ediacaran to Silurian tectonic evolution, which includes Cadomian and Cenerian tectonometamorphic and magmatic processes, seem thus to record a continuum related to a retreating-mode accretionary orogen, with diachronous back-arc basin opening and possibly discrete compressional/transpressional pulses linked to changes in subduction zone dynamics. On the other hand, it is inferred that the Alpine basement essentially comprises Pan-African metasedimentary and subordinate metaigneous rocks, possibly with very few Early Neoproterozoic relics. This basement was significantly reworked during the protracted Paleozoic orogenic evolution, due to anatexis and/or assimilation by mantle-derived juvenile magmatism.

提出了新的全岩石地球化学和耦合的U-Pb和Lu-Hf LA-ICP-MS锆石数据，以解释奥阿尔卑斯山，南阿尔卑斯山和佩尼尼奇基底区的准沉积岩，从而弄清了原阿尔卑斯山脉的瓦里斯坎前构造演化。 。所研究的单元似乎记录了瓦里斯坎碰撞前，晚埃迪卡拉期到石炭纪构造沉积阶段的不同阶段。但是，在奥特高山和南高山单位中，由于出处多数碎屑锆石样品均具有主要的泛非洲峰，因此在物源方面未观察到主要差异。他们的碎屑锆石光谱记录了来自东北撒哈拉大克拉通和北部阿拉伯-努比亚盾构西奈地下的物源，因此位于早古生代北部冈瓦纳边缘，而更西边的震源是根据Penninic Unit推断出来的，该Penninic Unit可能位于波希米亚地块的Moldanubian Unit附近。因此，无论如何，很明显，至少在早期古生代，高山基底一直保持在冈瓦纳大陆附近。埃迪卡兰至志留纪晚期构造演化，其中包括卡多期和塞内尔的地壳变质和岩浆作用，因此似乎记录了一个与后退模式增生造山带有关的连续体，其后弧盆地的开放时间与可能的离散的变压/变压脉动有关。在俯冲带动力学中。另一方面，可以推断出，该高山基底基本上包括泛非洲的准沉积岩和次要的亚火成岩，可能具有很少的新元古代遗迹。