Conclusions

Zircons derived from metasedimentary of the South Aegean micro-plate show a U-Pb crystallization ages ranging from Recent to Paleoarchean. Mean U-Pb ages (206Pb/238U or 207Pb/206Pb) of distinct populations of zircons are about 316, 639, 994, 1954, 2598 and 3325 Ma. These populations are consistent with parts of the detritus that now makes up the South Aegean basement having a source within orogenic belts of North African and Gondwana. There are three distinctive age gaps evident in the Aegean detrital zircon age populations: early Mesoproterozoic (~1350-1646 Ma), the late Paleoproterozoic (~2151-2429 Ma), and the Mesoarchean (~ 2828-3134 Ma). These detrital zircon age populations and gaps provide a reference for reconstructing the position of crustal material derived from different parts of Gondwana (the Pelagonian "terrane") that accreted against the active European continental margin.