Shallow-burial hydrothermal dolomitization: lessons from the Western and Central Alps

Several examples of shallow burial hydrothermal dolomitization have been recently documented in Mesozoic successions cropping out in different sectors of the Western and Central Alps and belonging to both the European and the Adriatic palaeo rifted margin of the Alpine Tethys. We will discuss three different case studies where dolomitization was due to a deep, fault-related hydrothermal circulation developed in different geodynamic settings:-the Middle Triassic-Berriasian Provençal succession of the French-Italian Maritime Alps (European paleo rifted margin), which was intensely dolomitized during the earliest Cretaceous by hot fluids (T 200 C) circulating through regional strike-slip fault systems;-the Middle Triassic-Pliensbachian Southalpine successions of NE Piemonte (Sostegno, Monte Fenera), affected by dolomitization phenomena related to circulation of hot fluids (T> 80 C), probably along normal faults ...