Abstract: | The active Taiwan orogen is the product of a two stage collision, that included first the collision of the Hengchun ridge, an accretionary wedge, with the Chinese continental margin, and second the collision of the Luzon trough and volcanic arc, from the Philippine Sea plate, with the Central Range of Taiwan. During the first stage, the strength of the continental margin induced a decrease of the convergence rate that controlled the final Central Range orientation and induced the second stage of the collision. Taking into account the kinematics of the plate interaction, a reconstruction of the Taiwan collision during the last 4 Ma is proposed. |