Over the last three decades, there has been a growing appreciation of the role of extensional tectonics in convergent orogens. The opening contribution to this book provides a flavour of how this detachment era has changed views on tectonometamorphic relationships in mountain belts. The conclusion is that controversy still persists over the existence and mechanics of slip on shallowly dipping extensional detachments, although incontrovertible field evidence indicates that slip on shallowly dipping extensional faults occurs in nature.
Other papers in the volume provide a mix of new, innovative and controversial ideas that may help to solve the mechanical paradox on slip on shallowly dipping extensional detachments and quantitative case studies from New Zealand, the Aegean extensional province, the Alps and Finland.