The Alpine loop of the tethys zone

Abstract

The Alpine loop in Europe results from semi-autochthonous crustal movements which are restricted to the mobile Tethys zone. Its evolution cannot be explained by a uniform northward drift and push of the African continent; it has to be sought, in the first place, in geodynamic processes occurring in the upper mantle directly underneath that section of the Tethys zone. The evolution of the Alpine mountain system in Europe can be compared with the Alpine orogenesis in Indonesia (the Sunda mountain system). On the other hand, the Alpine orogenesis in the Himalayan section is mainly the effect of the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent. It is concluded that mountain and island arcs are not the result of palaeomagnetically established continental drift or a still hypothetical ocean-wide spreading of the ocean floor.