The early 1980s saw the publication of several companion volumeson the Eastern Mediterranean region, both on land and beneaththe sea. Aspects of the marine geology of the MediterraneanBasin were reported in ‘Geological Evolution of the MediterraneanBasin’ edited by Stanley and Wezel in 1985. In 1986, Dercourtet al. published an atlas of palaeogeographic maps of the Tethyanarea which were accompanied by text, and incorporated data fromthe Eastern Mediterranean region. By the mid-1980s it was clearthat different regional tectonic interpretations were mutuallycontradictory. Problematic aspects included the history of Africa-Eurasiaplate motion, the nature of the crust beneath the MediterraneanSea, and the origin of the ophiolites. This, in turn, stimulatedan expansion of field-based research. The southern margin ofEurasia, represented by complex, often metamorphic terrains(e.g. the Pontides of N Turkey) emerged as a key study area.Attempts were renewed to resolve outstanding problems concerningthe origin of Mesozoic ophiolites, particularly in the Greekand Turkish areas. Integrated field-based studies led to animproved understanding of the pattern of microplates that wererifted from Gondwana in the Early Mesozoic. The Eastern Mediterraneanbecame established as one of the best areas in the world forstudy of processes of tectonic collision that include ‘tectonicescape’ and ‘orogenic collapse’. In addition,much effort has recently gone into study of active and recentlyactive tectonics, including seismicity and measurements of absoluteplate motions. Finally, interest in the marine geology has areceived a boost from
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