Geological research on the continental Permian in West Central and South Europe has been neglected in l l former days. Nevertheless, interest in it increased in the last twenty years and became important owing to the problems connected with continental sedimentation and also because of the important discoveries of oill gas and uranium deposits. Therefore, detailed inves l tigations in all countries where continental Permian appears have been made with the help of boreholes. These investigations included sedimentation basins in which the above-mentioned deposits are not expected. Consequently, the numerous results received in connec tion with still unanswered questions led to the idea to invite the specialists to a meeting. The first meeting was held in Pisa 1966 and a further one in 1 Vienna 1969. Both conferences exclusively dealed with the deposits of the Verrucano province, both in the Alps and Apennines. With respect to the importance of such meetings a further one was intended to be arranged in Mainz dealing with the whole continental Permian in West Central, and South Europe. With financial help l of the,NATO Scientific Affairs Division this meeting could be arranged as a NATO Advanced Study Institute.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Mainz, Germany, September 23-October 4, 1974

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. The Subvariscan and Variscan Province.- Northern end of European continental Permian The Oslo region.- A review of the Lower Permian in and around the British Isles.- Outline of the Rotliegend (Lower Permian) in the Netherlands.- Problems of the continental Permian in the Federal Republic of Germany.- Permian basins in the Bohemian Massif..- Le Permien et la phase saalienne dans le bassin de Brive (SW de la France).- Le Permien en Espagne.- The Permian/Triassic boundary in the continental area of middle Europe.- Summary.- 3. The Verrucano Province.- Austroalpine Verrucano of Switzerland.- Facies zones of the Permian in the Eastern Alps.- Le Permien des Prealpes Lombardes orientales.- Sedimentation, climate and development of landforms in the post-Hercynian North Tuscany: A contribution.- Geology and petrography of the Verrucano and paleozoic formations of Southern Tuscany and Northern Latium (Italy).- Summary.- 4. Occurrences Outside Europe.- The Permian in the near East.- Late variscan nonmarine basin deposits, Northwest Africa: Record of hercynotype orogeny.- General geology and vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Dunkard Basin.- 5. General Papers on Permian.- Diagenetic origin of continental red beds.- Permian paleogeography and climatology.- The Permocarboniferous basin and range province of Europe. An application of plate tectonics.- 6. Index.