Accreted terranes

Geologists have known for years that many allochthonous bodies in the form of accreted blocks and microcontinents are present in the Alpine‐Himilaya Mountain belt. In the past a few allochthonous bodies have also been identified in the Circum Pacific Mountain belts. More recently, however, the extent of these bodies and their large numbers around the Pacific (Figure 1) have been appreciated. Moreover, it is only in the last few years that the significance of these accreted bodies has emerged.