The Alps were developed from the Cretaceous onwards by subduction of a Mesozoic ocean and collision between the Adriatic (Austroalpine-Southalpine) and European (Penninic-Helvetic) continental margins. The Austroalpine-Penninic wedge is the core of the collisional belt, a fossil subduction complex which floats on the European lower plate. It consists of continental and minor oceanic nappes and is marked by a blueschist-to-eclogite-facies imprint of Cretaceous- Eocene age, followed by a Barrovian overprint. The collisional wedge was later accreted by the Helvetic basement and cover units and indented by the Southalpine lithosphere, which in turn was deformed as an antithetic fold-and-thrust belt.

Geological outline of the Alps

DAL PIAZ, GIORGIO;BISTACCHI, ANDREA LUIGI PAOLO;MASSIRONI, MATTEO
2003

Abstract

The Alps were developed from the Cretaceous onwards by subduction of a Mesozoic ocean and collision between the Adriatic (Austroalpine-Southalpine) and European (Penninic-Helvetic) continental margins. The Austroalpine-Penninic wedge is the core of the collisional belt, a fossil subduction complex which floats on the European lower plate. It consists of continental and minor oceanic nappes and is marked by a blueschist-to-eclogite-facies imprint of Cretaceous- Eocene age, followed by a Barrovian overprint. The collisional wedge was later accreted by the Helvetic basement and cover units and indented by the Southalpine lithosphere, which in turn was deformed as an antithetic fold-and-thrust belt.
2003
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/2466782
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 204
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 189
social impact