Geodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This first volume describes the recent and present-day structure and tectonic setting of the Alpine chain, from the lithospheric mantle to brittle crust and surface topography. It also provides a historical overview of Alpine research, with two chapters covering specific Alpine regions (Corsica and the Eastern Alps) through all phases of Alpine history. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.

Volume 58 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry presents 22 chapters covering many of the important modern aspects of thermochronology. The coverage of the chapters ranges widely, including historical perspective, analytical techniques, kinetics and calibrations, modeling approaches, and interpretational methods. In general, the chapters focus on intermediate- to low-temperature thermochronometry, though some chapters cover higher temperature methods such as monazite U/Pb closure profiles, and the same theory and approaches used in low-temperature thermochronometry are generally applicable to higher temperature systems. The widely used low- to medium-temperature thermochronometric systems are reviewed in detail in these chapters, but while there are numerous chapters reviewing various aspects of the apatite (U-Th)/He system, there is no chapter singularly devoted to it, partly because of several previous reviews recently published on this topic.

The Alps, with their outstanding outcrop conditions, represent a superb natural laboratory for many geological processes, and have played a crucial role in the history of geology. This book gives an up-to-date and holistic overview of the key aspects of Alpine geology. After a brief presentation of the plate tectonic framework, the rock suites are discussed, starting with the pre-Triassic crystalline basement, followed by Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary sequences. The lithological description of the rock types is supplemented by a discussion of their paleogeographic and plate tectonic contexts. The book goes on to describe the structure of the Alps (including the Jura Mountains and the Alpine foreland to the north and south) illustrated by numerous cross-sections. The evolution of the Alps as a mountain chain incorporates a discussion of the Alpine metamorphic history and a compilation of orogenic timetables. The final sections cover the evolution of Alpine drainage patterns and the region’s glacial history. Readership: The book is essential reading for students and lecturers on Alpine courses and excursions, and all earth-scientists interested in the geology of the region.

Geodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This second volume presents the pre-collisional history of the Alps. It discusses the Variscan orogeny in the Alpine realm, the inferred paleo-geography, the structure and processes affecting continental margins and the mantle structure in the pre-orogenic Alpine realm. It concludes by describing oceanic and continental subduction processes. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.

Geodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This third volume is entirely dedicated to Alpine collision. It describes and interprets elements of the Alpine chain, including Alpine magmatism, the formation of external massifs, the foreland basin, the exhumation of the internal part of the chain and the northern deformation front of the Alps. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.

Volume 2 provides an overview of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution of Central Europe. This period commenced with the destruction of Pangaea and ended with the formation of the Alps and Carpathians and the subsequent Ice Ages. Separate summary chapters on the Permian to Cretaceous tectonics and the Alpine evolution are also included. The final chapter provides an overview of the fossils fuels, ore and industrial minerals in the region.

This book covers a multitude of Alpine-type working areas and processes active in collisional mountain building in the form of 16 selected very up-to-date review and research articles covering the Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides. These data were presented at the 8th workshop on Alpine Geological Studies in Davos held in October 2007. The compilations and new data are of interest to earth scientists interested in mountain building in general and those interested in processes of continental collision in particular. The book is virtually indispensable for advanced students and scientists involved in Alpine studies.

This volume contains papers giving an interdisciplinary review of 12 major rift systems from North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. These papers are written by an international group of academic and industrial specialists each of whom is most knowledgeable about the respective rift. The analyzed rifts were selected on the basis of availability of an as-complete-as-possible geological and geophysical data base. Thirteen papers deal with geodynamic processes governing the evolution of rifts.A comprehensive digest of the available stratigraphic, structural, geophysical and petrological data, together with an extensive list of references, is provided for each of the analyzed rift systems. The megatectonic setting and dynamics of evolution of each basin is discussed. Geodynamic models are tested against the record of the analyzed rifts.The question of "active" as against "passive" rifting is addressed. The rifts analyzed range in age from Precambrian to Recent and cover a wide spectrum of megatectonic settings. There is discussion of the evolution of rifts in a plate-tectonic frame. The case histories are followed by discussions addressing the global setting of rifts and geodynamic processes active during the development of rifted basins.