This Special Issue of the Swiss Journal of Geosciences entitled “Evolution of collisional orogens in space and time: the Alpine-Himalayan system in 4 dimensions”, was proposed during the joint meeting “Geosciences for a sustainable future” organized by the Società Geologica Italiana and Società Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrografia held in Turin (Italy) in September 2022.

The issue focuses on the evolution of collisional orogens through a multidisciplinary approach. As a matter of fact, continental plate collisions give rise to collisional-related orogenic belts that are some of the most spectacular and dominant features on our planet.

During collision of continental plates, considerable deformation occurs with large scale overthrusting, burial and metamorphism of continental lithosphere portions. The final anatomy and the shape of collisional belts are highly diverse, due to the interactions of several controlling factors, including the pre-collisional tectonic history, the rate and the angle of convergence, the mechanical strength and thermal state of the involved colliding plates.