Controls of foreland deformation patterns in the orogen foreland shortening system The Andean Plateau (Altiplano Puna Plateau) of the southern Central Andes is the second highest orogenic plateau on our planet after Tibet. The Andean Plateau and its foreland exhibit a pronounced segmentation from north to south regarding the style and magnitude of deformation. In the Altiplano (northern segment) more than 300 km of tectonic shortening has been recorded which started during the Eocene. A well developed thin skinned thrust wedge located at the eastern flank of the plateau (Subandes) indicates a simple shear shortening mode. In contrast the Puna (southern segment) records approximately half of the shortening of the Altiplano and the shortening started later. The tectonic style in the Puna foreland switches to a thick skinned mode which is related to pure shear shortening. In this study carried out in the framework of the StRATEGy project high resolution 2D thermomechanical models were developed to systematically investigate controls of deformation patterns in the orogen foreland pair. The 2D and 3D models were ...