Accompanying CD-ROM contains fold. col. map, entitled, in both formats, "Caledonian orogen : East Greenland 70°N-82°N : Geological map 1:1 000 000.

Sections include: I. Physiography; II. History of geological exploration; III. The pre-caledonian succession; IV. The caledonian orogeny; V. Post-caledonian block faulting and the transgressions of the Mesozoic Sea; VI. Cenozoic disturbances and igneous activity.

The Caledonides are a major orogenic belt that stretches from the Arctic, through Scandinavia, East Greenland, Britain and Ireland into the Atlantic coast of North America. Following the break-up of Rodinia, the Caledonides formed in the Palaeozoic by the drifting of various continents and their eventual aggregation in the Silurian and Devonian. The orogen subsequently fragmented during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. This volume brings together 25 papers presenting the results of modern research that investigates the orogenic processes and the provenance of specific components of the belt. The contributions reflect different lines of research, linking traditional field studies with modern analytical techniques. In addition three overview papers summarize the main features of the belts in Scandinavia, Svalbard, East Greenland, Britain and Ireland, highlighting the advances made since the last major synthesis of the Scandinavian Caledonides 30 years ago, and discussing important open questions.

(Cont.) This is the first time that an alternation between thrusting and normal faulting has been observed in an over-riding plate during continent-continent collision, and only the second time that it has ever been documented in a collisional orogen. The data imply that there was a fundamental cyclicity between crustal thickening and thinning, consistent with dynamical models of orogenesis in which plate-forces responsible for contraction and gravitational forces responsible for extension, oscillate between periods where one dominates. Furthermore, given the established relationship between topography and synorogenic extension in active mountain belts, it is likely that activity along the Tindern detachment, the earliest splay of the FRD, was controlled by Caledonian paleotopography that formed during the initial stages of orogenesis. The fact that most middle- and upper-crustal extension was restricted to the FRD implies that a localized inherent crustal weakness may have developed after initial movement along the Tindern detachment. Given that late-stage Devonian activity on the FRD may have played a prominent role in the formation of the Devonian basins, which themselves likely controlled the geometry and location of subsequent Mesozoic extension and formation of the North Sea basins, the implication is that the position of rifting of the north Atlantic ocean was partially [pre-determined] inherited from the initial Caledonian paleotopography.

This volume focuses on the Canadian Appalachian region. The chapter on the East Greenland Caledonides stands alone and there is no attempt to integrate the geological accounts of the two far removed regions. Rocks of the Canadian Appalachian region are described under four broad temporal divisions: lower Paleozoic and older, middle Paleozoic, upper Paleozoic, and Mesozoic. The rocks of these temporal divisions define geographic zones, belts, basins, and graben, respectively. The area is of special interest because so many modern concepts of mountain building are based on Appalachian rocks & structures.