Note: Cover -- The Western Alps, from Rift to Passive Margin to Orogenic Belt -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- List of figures -- Part I: Introduction -- 1. Geosynclines, Passive Margins, Foreland Basins and Folded Belts: An Introduction -- 1. Prologue -- 2. Orogenesis, Rock Deformation and Development of the Thrust Concept -- 3. Mountain Belts and the Geosynclinal Theory (1859-1965) -- 4. Geophysical and Geological Exploration in the Ocean: First Steps and Results -- 5. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics: Principles -- 6. Sedimentation in Oceanic Basins and Problems in Palaeodepth Reconstruction -- 7. The Wilson Cycle: Mountain Belts, Passive Margins and Foreland Basin-Folded Belts -- 2. The Alps: Present Day Structure -- 1. The Alps: Main Subdivisions -- 2. The Central and Western Alps: Major Structural Trends -- 3. Alpine Metamorphism -- 4. The Arc of the Western Alps Compared to the Central Alps -- 5. Deep Structure of the Alps From Geophysical Studies -- 3. On the Origin of the Alps: The Vanished Oceans -- 1. Nappe Stratigraphy and the Existence of the Pre-Alpine Tethyan Oceanic Domain -- 2. Origins of the Tethys -- 3. The Development of the Tethys in the Cretaceous -- 4. Evolution of the Liguro-Piemontais Tethys: Tethyan and Alpine Phases -- 5. Alpine Palaeogeographic Domains in the Context of the Liguro-Piemontais Ocean and Continental Margin -- 6. The Alpine Phase, Late Cretaceous and Tertiary -- 4. Hercynian Inheritance, Tethyan Rifting and Alpine Nappes -- 1. The Alpine foldbelt incorporates part of the Hercynian foldbelt -- 2. Relations Between Hercynian, Tethyan and Alpine Structural Units -- 3. Conclusions -- Part II: The Tethys Phase -- 5. The Age of the Onset of Tethyan Rifting in Western Europe -- 1. The pre-rift and syn-rift phases of the Jurassic Tethys. , 2. The Triassic transgressive-regressive cycle of Western Europe: a turning point in the redevelopment of Tethys -- 3. Comparison of the Triassic major transgressive-regressive cycle from the Brianconnais to the Rhone valley -- 4. Relationship of the Middle Triassic and Carnian extensional events to rifting of the Ligurian Tethys -- 5. Triassic palaeogeography and the line of opening of the Ligurian Tethysin the Jurassic -- 6. End of the Triassic (Late Norian and Rhaetian) and onset of rifting inthe Ligurian Tethys -- 6. The Pre-Ligurian Tethys Rift Phase on the European Margin -- 1. Structures formed by rifting -- 2. Structural framework of the European margin of Tethys in the Alps -- 3. Evidence of extension and pulsed rifting during the Late Triassicand Jurassic -- 4. Modes of subsidence during rifting -- 5. Summary: The future European continental margin in the Westernand Central Alps during the rift phase -- 7. Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Development of the European Margin Spreading of the Liguro- Piemontais Ocean -- 1. The age of the onset of the post-rift phase and spreading of the Liguro-piemontais Ocean -- 2. Organization of the European margin of the Tethys in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous -- 3. Interpretation of the Valais zone: an oceanic basin of Early Cretaceousage or a failed rift superimposed on the Tethyan margin? -- 4. The behaviour of the Saint Bernard-Monte Rosa ('SBR') block during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rift phase -- 5. Rifting of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age in the Western Alps -- 6. Summary and Conclusions: Deformation of the European Margin During Spreading of the Tethys -- 8. The Late Cretaceous Phase and the Onset of the Alpine Shortening -- 1. Evolution of the European margin of the Tethys in the Late Cretaceous:early Alpine deformation. , 2. The Pelagic 'Globigerinid-bearing muds' of the Western and Central Alps and associated clastic sediments: demonstration of extensional tectonics -- 3. Evolution of the deformation field in the Central and Western Alps during the Late Cretaceous -- 4. Comparison with the Pyrenees and Provence domains 1795. Kinematics and uplift during the Late Cretaceous -- 5. Kinematics and uplift during the Late Cretaceous -- 9. The Tethyan Margin in Corsica -- 1. Hercynian and Alpine Corsica -- 2. The Initial Position of Corsica During the Mesozoic -- 3. The Transition from the Corsica-Provence Platform to the Liguro-Piemontais Ocean -- 4. Summary: Characteristics of the Tethyan Margin in Corsica -- 10. The Apulia-African Margin of the Liguro-piemontais Ocean:The Transition from Continent to Ocean -- 1. Southern Alps Transect: Northern Italy to Southern Switzerland -- 2. The Grisons (= Graubu¨nden) transect in eastern Switzerland -- 3. Summary and Conclusion -- 11. Liguro-piemontais Ophiolites and the Alpine Palaeo-Ocean -- 1. Ophiolites -- 2. Oceanic Sediments -- 3. Summary and Conclusions -- 12. Recapitulation and Comparisons: Oceans and Continental Margins in the Alps, an Overview -- 1. A short palaeogeographic reminder -- 2. Rifting: comparisons and reflections -- 3. Continental rupture and exhumation of the upper mantle -- 4. The notion of the breakup unconformity: discussion -- 5. Oceanic accretion in the Liguro-piemontais Ocean -- 6. Branches of the Tethys in the future Alpine domain -- 7. Segmentation of the oceanic lithosphere and adjoining continental margins -- Part III: From the Tethys to the Alpine Fold Belt -- 13. Birth of the Western and Central Alps: Structural Inversionand the Onset of Orogenesis -- 1. The concept of structural inversion -- 2. Increasing intensity of Alpine deformation from W to E in the Western Alps. , 3. Multiphase inversion in the Sub-alpine domain -- 4. Reactivation of extensional faults during inversion -- 5. The role and attitude of decollement surfaces during inversion -- 6. Conclusion: the role of the earlier fault fabric of the passive margin during inversion -- 14. The Birth of the Western and Central Alps: Subduction,Obduction, Collision -- 1. Subduction, obduction -- 2. The collision -- 3. Chronological constraints -- 4. Modes of orogenesis in the Central Alps along the Matterhorn (Cervin) transect -- 5. Some singularities of Western Alps structure -- 15. The Alps - Neotectonics -- 1. Seismicity -- 2. Direct measurement of present-day, active deformation of rocks -- 3. Vertical movements -- 4. Horizontal movements -- 5. Study of 'late' faults in the Field -- 6. Conclusion -- 16. Summary, Discussion and Conclusion -- 1. The major events that characterize Tethyan history -- 2. Inheritance: Hercynian, Tethyan and Alpine Structure -- 3. From Tethyan extension to Alpine compression -- 4. Development of the Ligurian Tethys and Transgressive-Regressive cycles at the European scale -- 5. Conclusion: Neotectonics and Alpine Peaks: a common history -- References -- Geographical Index -- Subject Index.