Tectonic relationships of Southwest Iberia with the allochthons of Northwest Iberia and the Moroccan Variscides

The Iberian Massif poses a problem of relationships between its northwestern and southern parts. Suture terranes (ophiolites and high-pressure rocks) crop out in NW Iberia but only as allochthonous units, unconnected from their root zone. Sutures cropping out in SW Iberia are discussed in order to relate them to the unknown root of the NW Iberia allochthons. On the other hand, the Moroccan Variscides are very briefly presented with a view to propose their correlation with the Iberian zones. Particularly important is the transition from the Variscides to the Paleoproterozoic basement in Morocco, which is a key argument for palaeogeographic reconstructions.We thank our reviewers Michel Corsini and Didier Marquer for their suggestions. Research supported by: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (A/3008/05 and A/4938/06), Spanish MEC (BTE 2003-05128 and CGL 2007-63101/BTE), TOPO-IBERIA CONSOLIDER-INGENIO CSD2006-00041 and Académie Hassan II des sciences et techniques.Peer reviewe