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Despite considerable progress in restoring rifted margins, none of the current kinematic models can restore the Mesozoic motion of the Iberian block in full agreement with the circum‐Iberian geology. This conflict requires a revision of the kinematic description at the onset of divergence. The circum‐Iberian region has a unique geological dataset that allows calibration and testing of kinematic reconstructions and therefore it is an ideal candidate for testing intracontinental restoration approaches. Here we define intracontinental deforming regions, referred to as strike‐slip corridors, based on alignments of Mesozoic rift basins and/or transfer zones bordering rigid continental blocks. We use these strike‐slip corridors and data from the southern N‐Atlantic and Tethys to define the motion path of the Flemish Cap, Ebro and Iberia continental blocks. The resulting Mesozoic kinematic model for the Iberian block is compatible with recently published data and interpretations describing the Mesozoic circum‐Iberian geology. Large‐scale intracontinental strike‐slip corridors may offer a valid boundary condition for reconstructing continental block motion at the onset of divergence in intracontinental settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution investigates the role of a hyperextended rift system in the formation of the Basque–Cantabrian Pyrenees by discussing their present‐day architecture as well as the inherited rift template. Moreover, this work attempts to decipher the onset of reactivation of a hyperextended system and to discuss the related processes during collision. To carry out this study, two regional, crustal‐scale cross‐sections are presented that provide geological and geophysical information and interpretations across the Central and Western Basque–Cantabrian Pyrenees. Moreover, the two sections are restored back to the Cenomanian and Barremian, corresponding to the end of two independent rift stages respectively. The two sections document different structural styles observed along the orogenic belt. The Central section, involving the Iberian and European plates, shows a thin‐skinned structural style, where the Upper Triassic salt acted as a decoupling level between the sedimentary cover and the underlying basement during both extension and reactivation. The Western section, by contrast, crosses only the Iberian plate (i.e., intra‐plate section) and displays a hybrid situation showing both thin‐ and thick‐skinned structural styles that were conditioned by the irregular distribution of Triassic salt. Extensional deformation was localised in the north (i.e., Bay of Biscay) and less important in the south. Despite compressional reactivation, the northern part of the Western section preserves its rift template, which provides key insights to restore the internal part of the Central section. In contrast to the Western section, the Central section shows stacked depocenters, resulting from overprinted Mesozoic rift events that had a first order control on the subsequent reactivation. This study corroborates the importance of rift inheritance during the onset of convergence by reactivating the most distal and weak part of the rift system (i.e., serpentinised mantle) before starting the collision phase. A key learning is that the understanding of the nature and distribution of decoupling levels at a crustal scale is fundamental to reconstruct the structural evolution during the formation and reactivation of a hyperextended rift system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]