Provenance, paleogeographic and paleotectonic interpretations of Oligocene-Lower Miocene sandstones of the western-central Mediterranean region: A review

• The changing nature of detrital signatures reflect provenance from evolving terranes. Sandstones over the Mesomediterranean plate final closure Tethyan realm. oceanic eastern and southern thrust accomodation Inner Zone Mediterranean chains. in clastic wedges Circum-Mediterranean orogenic systems relations different source rocks geo-puzzle terranes, including ophiolite bearing, uplifted continental crust (both shallow to deep terranes), volcanic sedimentary rocks. We selected here sandstone suites directly occurring Micropaleoplate during stages western-southern They are unconformably internal domains belts, include Oligocene-to-lower Miocene siliciclastic formations Betic Cordillera (As, Bosque, Río Pliego, El Niño, Ciudad Granada, Fuente-Espejos, Alozaina Viñuela fms), Rif Chain (Fnideq Sidi Abdeslam Calabrian terranes (Paludi, Pignolo Stilo Capo d'Orlando fms). All these range quartzolitic quartzofeldspathic modes reflecting close with their Paleozoic metasedimentary plutonic related Mesozoic covers. Marked differences have been recognized western (Betic-Rif) (Calabria) portions terms detritic suites. Detrital Betic-Rif a transition between craton, transitional recycled type. Contrarily, Calabria basement uplift deposition wedge-top basins subduction MFB below MM opening basin as backarc.