Alpine metamorphic and tectonic evolution of the Inzecca-Ghisoni area (southern Alpine Corsica, France)

In the Inzecca-Ghisoni area (southern Alpine Corsica), a complex assemblage of vertically juxtaposed tectonic units, affected by Alpine deformations and metamorphism, crops out. Among them, there are some tectonic units (Parautochthonous Units, i.e. parautochtone of previous studies), that represent fragments of the continental Corse basement (Palaeozoic granitoids and associated volcanic and metamorphic pre-Carboniferous rocks) and of its Mesozoic to Tertiary sedimentary cover, that are tectonically sliced between the allochthonous Ligurian-Piedmontese Units (Schistes Lustres) and the autochthonous basement (Variscan Corsica). The reconstructed polyphase deformation and metamorphic evolution of such units and the finding of high-pressure/low-temperature mineral assemblages in the continental-derived tectonic slices, points to the involvement of the southeastern border of the European basement of Corsica in the tectonic processes linked to the Alpine subduction. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.