The igneous rocks of Greece

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The Hellenide orogen in Greece is part of the Alpine-Himalaya mountain belt, formed during the Tethys ocean's destruction due to the convergence of Gondwana and Eurasia. The region showcases a complete Wilson tectonic cycle involving continental rifting, sea-floor spreading, plate subduction, and continental collision during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. This work synthesizes Greece's geological history as revealed by diverse igneous rocks, drawing on over 30 years of field and laboratory studies by the authors and a review of widely scattered literature in multiple languages. Basement rocks indicate Hercynian subduction and plutonism on Gondwana's northern margin, which rifted into microcontinents in the Permian and Triassic, leading to the formation of the eastern Mediterranean Neotethys ocean. The partial closure of Neotethys strands resulted in the emplacement of Jurassic and Cretaceous ophiolites. Early Tertiary collisions produced a Hellenide mountain chain akin to the Alps and Himalayas. Rapid Neogene extension behind the modern South Aegean arc formed the Aegean Sea, triggered back-arc igneous activity, and unroofed mid-crustal rocks. The geological setting, geochemistry, and significance of each rock group are detailed, accompanied by numerous maps and figures, appealing to geologists interested in the distribution and origin of rocks in orogenic belts, particularly in the Tethyan region.