Parageosyncline

an area of the earth’s crust that is intermediate between a typical geosyncline and a platform. In a parageosyncline the earth’s crust is warped downward as in geosynclines, but magmatic processes and folding are less marked and mountain formation is absent. Parageosyn-clines may be on the periphery or within geosynclines. They may be deeply submerged and may equal in thickness the sediments of orthogeosynclines. The base of a parageosyncline is consolidated, allowing only germanotype tectonics. The Donets Basin, formed during the Paleozoic, is an example of a parageosyncline.

The term “parageosyncline” was introduced in 1936 by the German geologist H. Stille. The American geologist M. Kay categorized parageosynclines according to their position in relation to geosynclines.