Zircon U–Pb CA–ID–TIMS constraints on the chronology of the Late Carboniferous–early Permian continental Döhlen Basin and its correlation with the Thuringian Forest Basin (Central and Eastern Germany)

Abstract We present new zircon U–Pb chemical abrasion–isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA–ID–TIMS) ages of two Late Carboniferous–early Permian continental basins in Germany. Three volcanic rocks from the Döhlen Basin (Saxony), and two tuff samples of the Thuringian Forest Basin (Thuringia) were dated. Our data indicate that all four formations of the Döhlen Basin were deposited in the interval of approx. 300 Ma to 298 Ma. The tuff samples of the Thuringian Forest Basin provided ages that overlap with the Döhlen Basin data. The Niederhäslich Formation of the Döhlen Basin and the Manebach and Goldlauter formations of the Thuringian Forest Basin contain fossil-rich lacustrine horizons, which have been correlated to a variety of formations in other European basins through the use of insect, amphibian, or conchostracan assemblage zones. Our new data thus provide new absolute age constraints for different fossil assemblage zones. Furthermore, the data can be considered a strong indication for simultaneous large-scale volcanic activity between 300 and 298 Ma. A relation between volcanic and post-Variscan transtensional tectonic activity is proposed because both the Döhlen Basin and the Thuringian Forest Basin are bound to NW trending strike-slip faults. Graphical abstract