The igneous rocks of Greece (PDF)

The Hellenide orogen in Greece is part of the Alpine-Himalaya mountain belt, created during the destruction of the Tethys ocean by the convergence of Gondwana and Eurasia. Within Greece, there is the record of a complete Wilson tectonic cycle of continental rifting, sea-floor spreading, plate subduction, and continental collision during Mesozoic and Cenozoic time. This book presents a new synthesis of the geological history of Greece as revealed by the varied igneous rocks. It is based on more than 30 years of field and laboratory studies by the authors together with a synthesis of the widely scattered published literature, that was written in many different languages. Basement rocks record Hercynian subduction and plutonism on the northern margin of Gondwana, which in the Permian and Triassic rifted into several microcontinents, thereby creating the eastern Mediterranean Neotethys ocean. Partial closure of strands of the Neotethys ocean resulted in the emplacement of Jurassic and Cretaceous ophiolites. Early Tertiary age collision produced a Hellenide mountain chain similar to the Alps and Himalayas. Rapid Neogene extension of the Hellenides behind the modern South Aegean arc has formed the Aegean Sea, triggered widespread back-arc igneous activity, and unroofed mid-crustal rocks. The geological setting, geochemistry, and significance of each group of rocks is presented in detail, with numerous maps and figures. This book should be of interest not only to those who work in Greece, but also to all geologists seeking to understand the distribution and origin of rocks in orogenic belts, particularly those of the Tethyan region Georgia Pe-Piper is professor of geology at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, (Canada). David J.W. Piper is a senior research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada - Atlantic.