Evolution of the Alpine orogenic belts in the Western Mediterranean region as resolved by the kinematics of the Europe-Africa diffuse plate boundary

The West European collisional Alpine belts are the result of inversion, initiated in middle Cretaceous, complex western Neotethys and Atlantic continental rift domains closure remnants Tethys between North Africa cratons. While kinematics relative to Europe is well understood, microplates such as Iberia Adria within diffuse plate boundary still a matter debate. We review geological stratigraphic constraints peri-Iberia fold-thrust basins define deformation history crustal segmentation realm. These data then implemented with other from recently published kinematic paleogeographic reconstructions propose new regional tectonic model for Western late Permian recent times. Our suggests that pre-collisional extension plates was distributed oblique, hence building discontinuous segments southern Central Atlantic. They were characterised by variably extended crust narrow oceanic segmented across transfer structures micro-continental blocks. main inherited Variscan orogeny localized associated rifting orogenic belts. show blocks, including Ebro-Sardinia-Corsica block, have been key accommodating strike-slip, extension, contraction both Adria. definition block allows refining relationships Iberia, Alps. By Paleogene, convergence closed spatially domains, except Ionian basin. From this time onwards, collision spread over different blocks Europe. area eventually affected Rift, Eocene, which may controlled opening Mediterranean. low evolution permits resolve control architecture on distribution strain zone, otherwise lost more mature domain Himalaya.