Alpine structures and metamorphism at the Pillonet Klippe — a remnant of the Austroalpine nappe system in the Italian Western Alps

Abstract

A detailed petrofabric analysis leads to the following consequences at the Pillonet Klippe, a remnant of the Austroalpine Dent Blanche — Sesia Lanzo nappe system in the Western Alps. Two nappe forming events have to be distinguished: the first one marks the beginning, the second one the end of alpine tectonometamorphic evolution. While the first event is correlated to the early-alpine high-pressure low-temperature subduction zone metamorphism, the second event has no counterpart within the alpine metamorphic history. Post-Lepontine cold thrusts act at c. 250 °C cutting through early-alpine nappe boundaries and pile up a new sequence of nappes with different internal lithologies, structures and relics of late- and early-alpine metamorphism.