The Alps and the deep revolution against standard plate tectonics: polarized plate tectonics

Giuliano Panza (a,b,c,d), Enrico Brandmayr (a,e) & Fabio Romanelli (a,b)
(a) Department of Mathematics and Geosciences, University of Trieste, Via Weiss 4, 34123, Trieste, Italy. E-mail: panza@units.it (b) The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics ICTP, SAND Group – 34151 Strada Costiera 11, Trieste, Italy. (c) China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Geophysics, Minzudaxue Nanlu 5, Haidian District, 100081 Beijing, P.R. China. (d) International Seismic Safety Organization (ISSO) - www.issoquake.org (e) North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville St., Durham, NC 27707.

The asymmetries between W-directed (e.g. Apennines) and E- or NE-directed (e.g. Alps) subduction zones are robust features of a polarized geodynamics and they can be ascribed to the generalized westward drift of the lithosphere relative to the underlying mantle.

Alps, lithosphere, tectonics.