  A numerical modelling approach is used to validate the physical and ge-
ological reliability of the ablative subduction mechanism during Alpine con-
vergence in order to interpret the tectonic and metamorphic evolution of an
inner portion of the Alpine belt: the Austroalpine Domain. The model pre-
dictions and the natural data for the Austroalpine of the Western Alps agree
very well in terms of P-T peak conditions, relative chronology of peak and
exhumation events, P-T-t paths, thermal gradients and the tectonic evolu- tion
of the continental rocks. These findings suggest that a pre-collisional
evolution of this domain, with the burial of the continental rocks (induced by
ablative subduction of the overriding Adria plate) and their exhumation (driven
by an upwelling flow generated in a hydrated mantle wedge) could be a valid
mechanism that reproduces the actual tectono-metamorphic config- uration of
this part of the Alps. There is less agreement between the model predictions
and the natural data for the Austroalpine of the Central-Eastern Alps. Based on
the natural data available in the literature, a critical discus- sion of the
other proposed mechanisms is presented, and additional geological factors that
should be considered within the numerical model are suggested to improve the
fitting to the numerical results; these factors include varia- tions in the
continental and/or oceanic thickness, variation of the subduction rate and/or
slab dip, the initial thermal state of the passive margin, the oc- currence of
continental collision and an oblique convergence.
