The African/Adriatic promontory as a palaeogeographical premise for alpine orogeny and plate movements in the Carpatho-Balkan region

Abstract

The Alpine orogeny is the result of the collision of Africa and Europe and the key to the evolution of the Alpine system lies in the delineation of the relative movements of these two plates. Smith (1971), Hsü (1971) and Dewey et al. (1973) have demonstrated this approach to the elucidation of Alpine tectonics. This paper investigates the evidence for a palaeogeographic premise which has been suggested by a number of geologists. This premise is that the Adriatic region represents a promontory of the African plate and has moved with Africa since the Early Mesozoic. This palaeogeographical assumption is evaluated and the timings of deformation in the Periadriatic mountain belt (Apennines, Alps, Dinarides and Hellenides) are compared with phases of motion of an African/Adriatic promontory, relative to Europe, as determined by the Atlantic magnetic-anomaly data. New constraints on the movement of plates in the Carpatho-Balkan region are reported and the effect of the movements of an African/Adriatic promontory on these microplates is evaluated.