Continental Tectonics

The evolution of oceanic plates is very well described by plate tectonic theory, but the study of continental tectonics is more complicated. Continental plates have a different rheology, a greater mean age, a higher heat productivity, and are more heterogeneous in composition. An understanding of continental tectonics requires, therefore, that these effects upon rigid plate behaviour be taken into account. This book brings together a series of papers which explore various aspects of the deformation of continental lithosphere, covering different tectonic settings from the Palaeozoic to the present day. These include the processes of terrane accretion and juxtaposition, the exhumation of high-pressure terrains, and mechanisms of crustal extension and rifting. The book will be of general interest to a broad audience of earth scientists concerned with global tectonics, continental growth processes, and the deformation of the continents during collision, exhumation and extension.