Geology, Palaeontology, Palaeogeography of the Western Tethys Realm

Dear Colleagues,

The overall geologic history of the Western Tethys Realm is today relatively well reconstructed, but the mountain ranges in that area are also known for their bewildering complexity. However, several crucial and topical questions remain, especially related to the older Mesozoic plate configuration. There is still no agreement on the number and position of oceanic domains and continental realms which may have existed, even though there is progress in the reconstruction of the geodynamic history, based on e.g., 1) biostratigraphic age dating and better understanding of the depositional environment of the sedimentary sequences, 2) analyses on ophiolites to constrain the characteristics of lost oceanic basins, their age, and mode of emplacement, 3) palaeomagnetic studies to reconstruct tectonic motions of different units, 4) analyses of metamorphic rocks including age dating, 5) mineral deposit formation, 6) structural studies, 7) palaeoecological investigations in wider palaeoceanographical conditions, 8) volcanogenic events, and a lot of other studies enlightening more and more the rather complex situation in the Western Tethys Realm. The Western Tethys Realm has been studied in detail over nearly 200 years and still acts for many topics in geoscience as reference, but the area still provides a lot of chances to contribute essential information to make progress in the body of knowledge on mountain building processes, reconstructions of depositional environments through time in space, the evolution of the organisms and their exact biostratigraphy, to understand deposit formation related to plate tectonic processes, and many other topics. This Special Issue should provide authors also the possibility to discuss other views on the history of the Western Tethys Realm and in wider context/connections of the whole Tethys, including its Eastern part. Overview articles related to special topics as well as very specialized articles opening new perspectives or present overlooked aspects are highly welcome. This Special Issue is dedicated to Dr. Sigrid Missoni, to honour her contributions to unravel the geological history of the Western Tethys Realm. She lost her last fight against cancer and died too young, at the age of 48. She leaves a big hole in the scientific community.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Gawlick
Dr. Michał Krobicki
Prof. Dr. Laszlo Bujtor
Guest Editors

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