Abstract
Although only a small part of the European Alps lies in Germany, the geological history of Central Europe following the Variscan Orogeny is integrally linked with the evolution of the Alpine Orogeny. This chapter presents a concise overview of the key plate tectonic movements related to this orogenic development. It is a history that ranges from the rifting phase of the Neotethys, the first collisional phase in the Jurassic, the origin of the Penninic Ocean, to the final collision between the Adriatic-Apulian Plate and Eurasia continent.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Meschede, M., Warr, L.N. (2019). The Evolution of the Alps. In: The Geology of Germany. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76102-2_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76102-2_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76101-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76102-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)