Abstract The Alps and Western Carpathians constitute that part of the Alpine-Mediterranean orogenic belt which advances furthest to the north into Central Europe. They were formed by a series of Jurassic to Tertiary subduction and collision events affecting several Mesozoic ocean basins, continental margins, and continental fragments. The Western Alps form a pronounced, westward-convex arc around which the strike of the tectonic units changes by almost 180° ( Fig. 18.1 ). The Western Carpathians are a northward-convex arc of similar size but with minor curvature. The two arcs are connected by an almost straight, WSW-ENE striking portion including the Eastern Alps Stresses produced by tectonic processes in the Alps also influenced the tectonics of large parts of central and northern Europe, leading, for example, to basin inversion and strike-slip faulting. In this chapter, we will discuss the present-day structure of the different tectonic units in the Alps and Western Carpathians in relation to their palaeotectonic history in order to illustrate the plate tectonic evolution using geological data. Many tectonic problems of the Alps and Western Carpathians are still unsolved, although dramatic progress has been made, especially over the last c. 20 years. Therefore, some of the interpretations presented below are still controversial and do not always express the opinion of all three authors. Given that the main theme of this book is Central Europe, the Southern and Western Alps are discussed in less detail than those parts of the Alps which belong to Central Europe: the Central Alps, the Eastern Alps and the Western Carpathians.

A review of Paleogene–early Miocene igneous rocks of the Alpine-Carpathian-Pannonian-Dinaric region is presented in this paper. We attempt to reveal the geo-dynamic link between Paleogene–early Miocene igneous rocks of the Mid-Hungarian zone and those of the Alps and Dinarides. Our summary suggests that Paleogene–early Miocene igneous rocks of all these areas were formed along a single, subduction-related magmatic arc. The study also highlights orthopyroxene-rich websterite mantle xenoliths from west Hungary and east Serbia that were formed in the vicinity of a subducted slab. We discuss the location and polarity of all potential subduction zones of the area that may account for the igneous rocks and orthopyroxene-rich mantle rocks. However, results of seismic tomography on subducted slabs beneath the studied area combined with geological data demonstrate that igneous rocks and mantle rocks cannot be explained by the same subduction process. We propose that the Paleogene–early Miocene arc was mainly generated by the Budva-Pindos subduction zone, subordinately by Penninic subduction, whereas mantle rocks were possibly formed in the vicinity of the older Vardar subduction zone. Continental blocks possibly moved together with their mantle lithosphere. The present diverging shape of the proposed arc has been achieved by considerable shear and rotations of those lithospheric blocks.