A Continent Revealed: The European Geotraverse, Structure and Dynamic Evolution

Abstract

A Continent Revealed presents the findings of the European Geotraverse (EGT), - a unique study of the tectonic evolution of the continent of Europe, and the first comprehensive cross section of the continental lithosphere. A well-illustrated book and a set of maps and profiles have been put together by key workers in the EGT project to present the great wealth of information yielded by the project. The book outlines the scientific achievements of the European Geotraverse. It tells how the information now available is key evidence in the piecing together of the tectonic evolution of the European continent. The authors have reviewed the work of their colleagues to unravel the nature, evolution and dynamics of the European lithosphere. The stimulating study reveals much of the workings of the earth and the processes that shaped the continent of Europe as we see it today. The maps and profiles, along a 250 kilometre wide swath stretching 4600 kilometres from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, form a three dimensional picture of the structure, properties and composition of the continental lithosphere of Europe in an atlas format. Many of the data are also presented on an accompanying compact disk. The book completes the boxed set, and is also available on its own in paperback. The EGT project has filled many gaps in our knowledge of the lithosphere, and is a celebration of coordination and communication across geographical borders and between disciplines. This book tells the story of international collaboration on an unprecedented scale, by several hundred geoscientists in a series of well-defined international projects.