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Deutsch: Autochthones Nordalpines Vorland
Français: Avant-pays nord-alpin autochtone
Italiano: Avampaese nordalpino autoctono
English: Autochthonous North Alpine Foreland

The Autochthonous North Alpine Foreland consists of the European platform with its Cenozoic graben structures of eastern France, southwestern Germany and northern Switzerland. The boundary between the Autochthonous North Alpine Foreland and the Detached North Alpine Foreland marks the northernmost limit of significant Alpine compressional deformation.

Ausseralpiner Bereich, Schwach deformiertes Nordalpines Vorland (nagra), unités marginales, Autochthones Nordalpines Vorland (DM-Geologie), Autochthonous North Alpine Foreland (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Süddeutsche Tafel
Français: Plateau d'Allemagne méridionale
Italiano: Piattaforma della Germania meridionale
English: South German Platform

The South German Platform consists of an autochthonous Mesozoic–Cenozoic sedimentary cover and its basement (Schwarzwald Massif). It shows a clear segmentation into tectonically distinct regions, between the eastern shoulder of the Upper Rhine Graben and the Hegau-Bodensee Graben, passing northwards to the Schwäbische Alb.

Südwestdeutsches Schichtstufenland, Südwestliche Mittelgebirge, Schwäbisch-Fränkische(s) Schichtstufenland(schaft), Süddeutsche(s) Schichtstufenland(schaft), South German Scarplands, South German Platform (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Pillon-Melangezone
Français: Zone de mélange du Pillon
Italiano: Zona di mélange del Pillon
English: Pillon Mélange Zone

The Pillon Mélange Zone of the Western Swiss Alps consists of a chaotic system of discontinuous slivers with relatively little "wildflysch" matrix. Some of the slivers are several kilometers long and where formerly considered as “Ultrahelvetic nappes”, whose paleogeographic origin is located south of that of the Wildhorn Nappe Complex, i.e., in the most distal part of the European continental shelf.

The mélange zone can be subdivided into lower mélanges, associated with a specific Helvetic nappe, and upper mélanges, related to the base of the Prealps nappes. It is located on top of the Lower and Upper Helvetic nappes and forms a wide band between the Helvetic units and the Penninic units of the Prealps (formerly called the “Zone des Cols”, “Sattelzone” or “Internal Prealps”).

Col du Pillon (VD)

complexe du Pillon (McConnell 1951), Complexe du Pillon (Lombard 1975), Pillon Mélange Zone (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Jungfrau-Synklinal
Français: Synclinal de la Jungfrau
Italiano: Sinclinale della Jungfrau
English: Jungfrau syncline

The Jungfrau syncline, which separates the autochtonous Gastern dome from the Aar massif basement gneiss folds, is composed of slivers of basement rocks with their Mesozoic sedimentary cover.

Jungfrau-Keil, synclinal de la Jungfrau (Burkhard 1988), Jungfraukeil (Kellerhals & Isler 1998), Jungfrau syncline (Krayenbühl & Steck 2009), Jungfrau Wedge (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Internes Penninikum der Zentral- und Ostschweiz
Français: Pennique Interne de Suisse centrale et orientale
Italiano: Pennidico Interno della Svizzera centrale e orientale
English: Internal Penninic of Central and Eastern Switzerland

In Central and Eastern Switzerland, the internal part of the Penninic domain is restricted to the Simplon-Ticino region and to Graubünden (incl. Lower Engadine Window) with some prolongation in the Italian valleys of San Giacomo and Malenco. East of the Rhine, both external and internal Penninic units are present in the Vorarlberg (Austria) and converge eastward in the Allgäu (Germany) at the eastern end of the Helvetic domain.

Penninic in central and eastern Switzerland (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Externes Penninikum der Zentral- und Ostschweiz
Français: Pennique Externe de Suisse centrale et orientale
Italiano: Pennidico Esterno della Svizzera centrale e orientale
English: External Penninic of Central and Eastern Switzerland

In Central Switzerland, external Penninic units comprise Lower Penninic flysch nappes and some klippes of Middle Penninic units overlain by rare remnants of Upper Penninic and Austroalpine units (from west to east: Giswilerstock, Stanserhorn, Buochserhorn, Mythen and Iberg klippen).

Penninic in central and eastern Switzerland (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Ortler-Decke
Français: Nappe de l'Ortler
Italiano: Falda dell'Ortler
English: Ortler Nappe

The Upper Austroalpine Ortler Nappe overthrusts the Campo Nappe along the WNW–ESE striking Zebrù Thrust, which follows the incompetent sediments of the Raibl Group over most of its strike as the dominant basal décollement horizon. Only small occurrences of basement and pre-Carnian sediments are preserved locally, the main Mesozoic sequence being dominated by massive Late Triassic sediments. The hangingwall of the Ortler Nappe is defined by the Trupchun-Braulio Thrust that formed during a later stage of the Cretaceous orogeny and juxtaposed the Quattervals Nappe (in the west) and the Umbrail-Terza Slice Complex (in the east) over the Ortler Nappe.

Ortler = Ortles (Italia)

Ortlerdecke (Roesli 1927, Staub 1934), Ortler-Einheit (Dössegger 1987), Ortler Zone = Ortler-Sedimente (Spillmann 1993), Ortler Nappe (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Monte-Nudo-Becken
Français: Bassin du Monte Nudo
Italiano: Bacino del Monte Nudo
English: Monte Nudo Basin

Monte Nudo (Italia)

bacino del Monte Nudo (Bertotti 1991, Dal Piaz et al. 1992a), Monte Nudo Basin (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: «Südliche Mittagsspitz-Zone»
Français: «Zone méridionale du Mittagsspitz»
Italiano: «Zona meridionale del Mittagsspitz»
English: «Southern Mittagsspitz Zone»

In the Rätikon area (northeast corner of the Prättigau Half-Window), Nagel (2006) correlates the sedimentary «Southern Mittagspitz Zone» with the Schiahorn Nappe, both having a similar stratigraphic sequence with respect to the Allgäu Nappe, as well as a structurally comparable position with it.

Mittagsspitz-Grossfalte (Allemann & Blaser 1951), Mittagspitz-Mulde (Haldimann 1975), Mittagsspitz zone (Nilius et al. 2016), Southern Mittagsspitz Zone (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Deutsch: Schiahorn-Decke
Français: Nappe du Schiahorn
Italiano: Falda dello Schiahorn
English: Schiahorn Nappe

The Schiahorn Nappe (formerly “Arosa Dolomites”) is a small unit underlying the Silvretta Nappe between Tiefencastel and Davos. It consists of Triassic to Early Jurassic sediments with lithofacies similar to that of the Upper Austroalpine Ortler Nappe.

Gross Schiahorn (GR), NW Davos

Aroser Dolomiten auct., Schiahorndolomit (Cadisch 1922), Schiahorn-Decke (Pfiffner 2015, Signer et al. 2018), Schiahorn Nappe (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)