Conclusion
In conclusion, two major tectonic stages characterize the evolution of Alpine Corsica (Figs. 3,4):
(1) the orogenic stage, related to the Late Cretaceous–Middle Eocene east-dipping subduction and progressive underthrusting of the Corsican continental crust. This event ended with the arrival at the trench of the thick Corsican crust, which blocked the subduction in the late Mid-Eocene;
(2) a post-orogenic stage, stretching from the early Oligocene–Miocene to the present day, related with the west-dipping Apenninic subduction. This geodynamic context is responsible for the reactivation of pre-existing thrusts in transpression/transtension during the Corsica-Sardinia block rotation, which ended with the development of Miocene basins and their subsequent deformation. The extensional tectonics described by Jolivet at al. (1990); Daniel et al. (1996); Jolivet et al. (1998); Guyedan et al (2003) and references therein took place during this post-orogenic stage. Deformation related to this stage generally results in low-displacement reactivation of previous subduction- and syn-contractional exhumation-related fabrics and structures (see details in the second day of Field trip 2).