An apatite fission track thermochronological survey of Corsica was undertak
en in order to decipher its Cenozoic thermo-tectonic evolution. A remarkabl
e geographic zoning of FT ages with a gradient from southwest (older ages)
to northwest (younger ones) is interpreted as the result of two major cooli
ng steps, respectively dated at 26-20 Ma and 18-10 Ma. These coolings are a
ttributed to exhumation phases associated with the Oligo-Miocene Liguro-Pro
vencal rifting and the Miocene Tyrrhenian extension, respectively. (C) 2000
Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.