The Late Proterozoic-early Paleozoic rocks of the Tallahassee- Suwannee terrane may provide a critical link between the southern terminus of the Appalachians and the Mauritanides of west Africa, yet they are poorly understood because concealed beneath Mesozoic and Tertiary rocks of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. This study will examine the major and trace element and isotopic composition of a suite of drill cuttings from the basement rocks of northern Florida, southern Georgia and southern Alabama to determine the geochemical character of the continental crust in these regions. The data obtained will be used to compose the Tallahassee-Suwannee terrane with Avalonian and West African rocks. The results of this study will place constraints on late Proterozoic-early Paleozoic tectonic history of southeastern North America and will have broader tectonic implications for global plate reconstructions over this time interval.
