The TRANSMED Transects in Space and Time: Constraints on the Paleotectonic Evolution of the Mediterranean Domain

Abstract

The Phanerozoic evolution of the western Tethyan region was dominated by terrane collisions and accretions, during the Variscan, Cimmerian and Alpine cycles. Most terranes were derived from Gondwana and present a similar early Palaeozoic evolution. Subsequently, they were detached from Gondwana and affected by different deformation and metamorphic events, which permit to decipher their geodynamic history. Lithospheric scale peri-Mediterranean transects show the present-day juxtaposition of these terranes, but do not allow to unravel their exotic nature or their duplication. To create a reliable palinspastic model around these transects, plate tectonics constraints must be taken into consideration in order to assess the magnitude of lateral displacements. For most of the transects and their different segments, thousand km scale differential transport can be demonstrated.