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.

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.

The web of geological sciences, Special papers 500 and 523, written in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Geological Society of America.

The ihsan Ketin NATO Advanced Study Institute on the Tectonic Evolution of the Tethyan Region was conceived in 1982 in Veszprem, Hungary, when three of the organizers (B. C. B. , L. H. R. and A. M. C. 9. ) had come together for a meeting on the tectonics of the Pannonian basin. All three of us had experience in the Tethyan belt and all three of us had been for some time deploring the lack of communication among workers of this immense orogenic belt. Much new work had been completed in such previously little-known areas as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China, the entire Himalayan region, as well as new work in the European parts of the chain. Also, ironically, parts of the belt had just been closed to field work for political reasons, so it seemed as if the time was right to sit back and consider what had been done so far. Because the Istanbul group had had an interest in the whole of the Tethyan belt and because that ancient city was more centrally locElted with excellent opportunities to see both Palaeo- and Neo-Tethyan rocks in a weekend excursion, we thought that Istanbul was a natural place for such a meeting, not mentioning its own considerable attractions for the would-be contributors. A happy coincidence was that Prof.