The Aegean Sea area is thought to be an actively extending back-arc region, north of the present day Hellenic volcanic arc and north-dipping subduction zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. The area shows extensive normal faulting, ductile ‘extensional’ shear zones and extensional S-C fabrics throughout the islands that have previously been related to regional Aegean extension associated with slab rollback on the Hellenic Subduction Zone. In this paper, we question this interpretation, and suggest the Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the Aegean region is associated with a Late Cretaceous–Eocene NE-dipping subduction zone that was responsible for continent-continent collision between Eurasia and Adria-Apulia/Cyclades. Exhumation of eclogite and blueschist facies rocks in the Cyclades and kyanite-sillimanite grade gneisses in the Naxos core complex have pressures that are far greater than could be accounted for purely by lithospheric extension and isostatic uplift. We identify four stages of crustal shortening that affected the region prior to regional lithospheric extension, herein called the Aegean Orogeny. This orogeny followed a classic Wilson cycle from early ophiolite obduction (ca. 74 Ma) onto a previously passive continental margin, to attempted crustal subduction with HP eclogite and blueschist facies metamorphism (ca. 54–45 Ma), through crustal thickening and regional kyanite – sillimanite grade Barrovian-type metamorphism (ca. 22–14 Ma), to orogenic collapse (<14 Ma). At least three periods of ‘extensional’ fabrics relate to: (1) Exhumation of blueschists and eclogite facies rocks showing tight-isoclinal folds and top-NE, base-SW fabrics, recording return flow along a subduction channel in a compressional tectonic setting (ca. 50–35 Ma). (2) Extensional fabrics within the core complexes formed by exhumation of kyanite- and sillimanite gneisses showing thrust-related fabrics at the base and ‘extensional’ fabrics along the top (ca. 18.5–14 Ma). (3) Regional ductile-brittle ‘extensional’ fabrics and low-angle normal faulting related to the North Cycladic Detachment (NCD) and the South(West) Cycladic Detachment (WCD) during regional extension along the flanks of a major NW–SE anticlinal fold along the middle of the Cyclades. Major low-angle normal faults and ductile shear zones show symmetry about the area, with the NE chain of islands (Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Ikaria) exposing the NE-dipping NCD with consistent top-NE ductile fabrics along 200 km of strike. In contrast, from the Greek mainland (Attica) along the SE chain of islands (Kea, Kythnos, Serifos) a SW-dipping low-angle normal fault and ductile shear zone, the WCD is inferred for at least 100 km along strike. Islands in the middle of the Cyclades show deeper structural levels including kyanite- and sillimanite-grade metamorphic core complexes (Naxos, Paros) as well as Variscan basement rocks (Naxos, Ios). The overall structure is an ∼100 km wavelength NW–SE trending dome with low-angle extensional faults along each flank, dipping away from the anticline axis to the NE and SW. Many individual islands show post-extensional large-scale folding of the low-angle normal faults around the domes (Naxos, Paros, Ios, Sifnos) indicating a post-Miocene late phase of E–W shortening.

爱琴海地区被认为是一个活跃的弧后区域，位于当今希腊火山弧以北和东地中海北倾俯冲带的北部。该区域在整个岛屿上显示出广泛的正常断层，韧性的“延伸”剪切带和伸展性SC织物，这些织物先前与希腊俯冲带上的平板回滚有关的区域爱琴海延伸有关。在本文中，我们对这种解释提出质疑，并提出爱琴海地区的新生代地球动力学演化与晚白垩世-始新世NE俯冲带有关，该俯冲带负责欧亚大陆与阿德里亚-普利亚/基克拉泽斯之间的大陆-大陆碰撞。基克拉泽斯地区的榴辉岩和蓝片岩相岩屑以及纳克索斯岩心复合体中的蓝晶岩-硅线石级片麻岩的发掘压力远远大于纯粹由岩石圈扩张和等静压抬升所能解释的压力。我们确定了影响区域岩石圈扩展之前影响该区域的地壳缩短的四个阶段，这里称为爱琴海造山运动。这个造山运动遵循经典的威尔逊循环，从早期蛇绿岩俯冲（约74 Ma）到先前的被动大陆边缘，到试图通过HP榴辉岩和蓝片岩相变质（约54-45 Ma）通过地壳增厚和区域蓝晶石俯冲。 –硅线石级Barrovian型变质作用（约22–14 Ma），到造山塌陷（<14 Ma）。至少三个阶段的“扩展”结构涉及：（1）蓝屑岩和榴辉岩相岩的掘出，显示出紧密的等斜褶皱和顶NE，基SW织物，在压缩构造环境（约50-35 Ma）中记录了沿俯冲通道的回流。（2）由蓝晶石和硅线石片麻岩的掘出形成的核心复合物中的伸展性织物，在底部表现出与推力有关的织物，而在顶部则呈“伸展性”织物（约18.5-14 Ma）。（3）与北基克拉迪脱离（NCD）和南（西）克拉迪脱离（WCD）相关的区域韧性脆性“伸展”构造和低角度正断层，沿着主要西北-东南背斜的侧面扩展沿基克拉泽斯山脉中部折叠。主要的低角度正断层和韧性剪切带显示出该区域的对称性，包括岛屿的NE链（Andros，Tinos，Mykonos，伊卡里亚（Ikaria））在200 km的打击范围内，向浸入NE的NCD用一致的顶级NE延展性织物进行暴露。相比之下，从沿东南SE岛（Kea，Kythnos，Serifos）的SW倾斜的低角度正断层和韧性剪切带的希腊大陆（Attica）推断，WCD沿走向至少延伸了100 km。基克拉泽斯中部的岛屿显示出更深的结构层次，包括蓝晶石和硅线石级变质岩心复合体（纳克索斯，帕罗斯岛）以及瓦里斯坎基底岩层（纳克索斯，伊奥斯岛）。总体结构是一个约100 km波长的NW–SE趋势穹顶，沿着每个侧面具有低角度伸展断层，从背斜轴向NE和SW倾斜。许多单个岛屿在穹顶周围显示了低角度正断层的伸展后大规模折叠（纳克索斯岛，帕罗斯岛，伊奥斯岛，