Plate Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Margin of Laurussia in the Paleozoic.

Ziegler (geology, U. of Basel, Switzerland) provides an overview of the late Palaeozoic evolution of North America, Europe, the Arctic and North Africa in a plate tectonics framework. The late Palaeozoic evolution of Laurussia is illustrated by a set of ten interpretive palaeotectonic palaeogeograph

This book is devoted to different aspects of tectonic researches, especially to modern geodynamic processes. Syntheses of recent and earlier works, combined with new results and interpretations, are presented here for diverse tectonic settings. Most of chapters include up-to-date materials of detailed geological-geophysical investigations, which can help more clearly understand the essence of mechanisms of different tectonic processes. Among general problems of tectonics are discussed processes in axes of slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges on example of central part of Mid-Atlantic Ridge and in continental collision zones. Formation of sedimentary basins are considered on examples of Niger Delta, Triassic Cuyana Basin (Argentina), and Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins of the Alpine margin (Tunisia); neotectonic processes examined in Turkey and Morocco; tectonic evolution of the southern margin of Laurasia in the Paleozoic discussed as well as interrelation of western Troms-Lofoten and the Lewisian complexes in the Midle Paleoproterozoic.

Special Publication 503 celebrates the career of R. Damian Nance. It features 27 articles, with more than 110 authors based in 18 different countries. These articles include contributions on the processes responsible for the formation and breakup of supercontinents, the controversies concerning the status of Pannotia as a supercontinent, the generation and destruction of Paleozoic oceans, and the development of the Appalachian-Ouachitan-Caledonide-Variscan orogens. In addition to field work, the approaches to gain that understanding include examining the relationships between stratigraphy and structural geology, precise geochronology, geochemical and isotopic fingerprinting, geodynamic modelling, regional syntheses, palaeogeographic modelling, and good old-fashioned arm-waving! The wide range of topics mirrors the breadth and depth of Damian’s contributions, interests and expertise. Like Damian’s papers, the contributions range from the predominantly conceptual to detailed field work, but all are targeted at understanding important tectonic processes. Their scope not only varies in scale from global to regional to local, but also in the range of approaches required to gain that understanding.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains ... "the full paper [version] for all 30 chapters as .pdf files."--Page 4 of cover.

The analysis presented here suggests that nearly all of the Eurasian "intra-cratonic" structures, classically viewed by some geologists to have resulted from primary vertical movements, may be products of horizontal movements caused by repeated orogenies around the periphery of cratons. Understanding the evolution of the Cimtnerides together with their fore- and hinterlands sheds much light on the Mesozoic tectonics of all of Asia and eastern Europe and leads to a number of interesting concepts concerning continental evolution, such as "hidden subduction." Finally, a study on the evolution of ideas on the Cimmerides clearly shows how much we remain under the spell of the Kober-Stillean fixist philosophy.

Britain, Ireland and their surrounding areas have a remarkably varied geology for so small a fragment of continental crust. This region contains a fine rock record from all the geological periods from Quaternary back to Cambrian, and a less continuous but still impressive catalogue of events back through nearly 2500 million years of Precambrian time. This protracted geological history would have been interesting enough to reconstruct if it had been played out on relatively stable continental crust. However, Britain and Ireland have developed instead at a tectonic crossroads, on crust traversed intermittently by subduction zones and volcanic arcs, continental rifts and mountain belts. The resulting complexity makes the geological history of this region at once fascinating and perplexing. Geological History of Britain and Ireland tells the geological story of the region at a level accessible to undergraduate geologists, as well as to postgraduates, professionals or informed amateurs. The book takes a multi-disciplinary rather than a purely stratigraphical approach, and aims to bring to life the processes behind the catalogue of historical events. Full coverage is given to the rich Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic history, as well as to later events more relevant to hydrocarbon exploration. The book is profusely illustrated and contains guides to further reading and full references to data sources, making it an essential starting point for more detailed studies of the regional geology. All British Earth science undergraduates will be required to spend some time studying British Geological History, and this book will be the only one available to British undergraduates The book takes a process-based approach, rather than simply describing the regional stratigraphy Lavishly illustrated with high-quality diagrams