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February 2018 – Volume 14 Number 1

Luminescence Dating: Reconstructing Earth's Recent History

GUEST EDITORS
Rachel K. Smedley and Ann G. Wintle

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Nancy L. Ross

April 2018 – Volume 14 Number 2

Comets

GUEST EDITORS
Michael E. Zolensky and Monica M. Grady

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Friedhelm von Blanckenburg

June 2018 – Volume 14 Number 3

Terroir: Science Related to Grape and Wine Quality

GUEST EDITOR
Lawrence D. Meinert

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Bernard J. Wood

August 2018 – Volume 14 Number 4

Central Andes: Mountains, Magmas, and Minerals

GUEST EDITORS
Gerhard Wörner, Taylor F. Schildgen, and Martin Reich

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Jonathan Blundy

October 2018 – Volume 14 Number 5

Deep-Ocean Mineral Deposits

GUEST EDITORS
Paul A.J. Lusty and Bramley J. Murton

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Nancy L. Ross

December 2018 – Volume 14 Number 6

Marine Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements and Their Isotopes

GUEST EDITORS
Catherine Jeandel, Zanna Chase, and Vanessa Hatje

PRINCIPAL EDITOR
Friedhelm von Blanckenburg

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December 2025 --The Variscan Orogeny in Europe – Understanding Supercontinent Formation

The Variscan orogen formed between 380 and 300 million years ago through several accretionary and collisional cycles, culminating with the construction of the Pangea supercontinent. This process occurred via sequential opening and closure of oceanic basins, synchronous detachment of Gondwana derived continental ribbons, and their outboard amalgamation onto the Laurussia margin. The Variscan orogen is rather unique compared with other orogenic belts on Earth: its overthickened and dominantly magmatic crust in the central belt, surprisingly minor mantle involvement in the magmatic and geodynamic processes, coherent and pulsed magmatism along the collision suture, and its complex accretionary history. Because its final product, Pangea, is the youngest and best-understood supercontinent on Earth, the Variscan orogeny offers clues for understanding the mechanisms of supercontinent formation.