The Mediterranean region represents a complex mosaic of continental, microcontinental and ophiolitic terranes, whose overall evolution has been controlled by relative movements between the African and Eurasian plates. Palaeomagnetic studies have played an important part in deciphering the sequence of tectonic events in this region. The 33 papers presented here span the full width of the Mediterranean basin and present results from Permian to Quaternary rocks.

The 33 papers in this volume span the full width of the Mediterranean basin and present results from Permian to Quaternary rocks. Together they provide a snap-shot of the current state of palaeomagnetic research in the Mediterranean region. In addition to tectonic and magnetostratigraphic applications of palaeomagnetism, several contributions describe archaeomagnetic studies in the Mediterranean realm.

The Eastern Mediterranean region is a classic area for the study of tectonic processes and settings related to the development of the Tethyan orogenic belt. The present set of research and synthesis papers by earth scientists from countries in this region and others provides an up-to-date, interdisciplinary overview of the tectonic development of the Eastern Mediterranean region from Precambrian to Recent. Key topics include continental rifting, ophiolite genesis and emplacement, continental collision, extensional tectonics, crustal exhumation and intra-plate deformation (e.g. active faulting). Alternative tectonic reconstructions of the Tethyan orogen are presented and discussed, with important implications for other regions of the world. The book will be an essential source of information and interpretation for academic researchers (geologists and geophysicists), advanced undergraduates and also for industry professionals, including those concerned with hydrocarbons, minerals and geological hazards (e.g. earthquakes).

Anatolia and the easternmost Mediterranean region, especially Turkey, Cyprus and northern Syria, represent an excellent natural laboratory for the study of fundamental geological processes (e.g. rifting, seafloor spreading, ophiolite genesis and emplacement, subduction, exhumation and collision). Their interaction has created an intriguing array of deep-sea basins, microcontinents and suture zones.The volume's 22 papers include a large amount of new field-based information (much of it multidisciplinary and the product of teamwork). After an overview, the volume is divided into four sections: Late Palaeozoic--Early Cenozoic of the Pontides (northern Turkey); Late Palaeozoic--Early Cenozoic of the Taurides--Anatolides (central and southern Turkey); Late Cretaceous--Pliocene sedimentary basins and structural development (central Anatolia to the Mediterranean); Late Miocene--Recent Neotectonics (southern Turkey, Cyprus and northern Syria). The volume will interest numerous academic researchers, those concerned with resources (e.g. hydrocarbons; mineral deposits) and also hazards (e.g. earthquakes), as well as advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students -- P. 4 of cover.

Palaeomagnetism is a technique used to understand complex deformation patterns in fold-and-thrust belts; it can be used to characterize the distribution, magnitude and timing of vertical axis rotations, an elusive variable using other methods. A combination of palaeomagnetic and structural geology analyses has helped to unravel the geometry and kinematics of fold-and-thrust belts around the world and of different geological ages for more than 50 years. This volume comprises three sections: the first shows thorough overviews of western Mediterranean arcs and the western Carpathians; the second depicts several examples from the Andes, the Alps, Anatolia, Pyrenees, Iberian Ranges and the Atlas; and the third shows the latest research on the use of palaeomagnetism to understand fold-and-thrust belts in 3D and 4D in a more quantitative way and it also includes some methodological proposals to avoid common errors. In the papers of the first two sections, the combination of palaeomagnetic analyses with structural data, AMS or magnetostratigraphic analyses demonstrate the usefulness of palaeomagnetism in deciphering complex deformation patterns in fold-and-thrust belts.

Tectonic motion of the Adria microplate exerts a first-order control on the tectonics, geology, seismology, resource distribution, and the geological hazards across a broad zone of south-central Europe and the north-central Mediterranean. Since its first application to geodynamical problems, GPS geodesy has gradually revealed the nature of motion and deformation for most active areas of deformation across the Earth. One of the last remaining regional-scale problems on the planet is the motion and associated deformation in the peri-Adriatic region. Selected local-scale studies have examined aspects of this motion, but to date no truly regional analysis or regional team has systematically attacked the full breadth of this problem. A NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was held in Veszprém, Hungary from April 4-7, 2004. This workshop brought together a distinguished international group of scientists working in the peri-Adriatic region to: (1) review research activities and results, (2) share technical expertise, and (3) provide a springboard for future collaborative research on Adria geodynamics. Areas of agreement were identified, as well as remaining areas of debate. In addition, attention focused on important scientific questions and the potential for international and interdisciplinary research in the future.

The study of sediments and sedimentary basins in terms of their tectonic environment requires a multidisciplinary approach and has increasingly drawn both techniques and objectives from fields outside sedimentology. Studies presented in this volume range across a wide spectrum from the analysis of sedimentary sequence architecture at basin scale down to the chemical properties of individual grains, and include studies from a range of tectonic settings.