Guest Editors Olivier Lacombe, Jonas Ruh, Dennis Brown and Faramarz Nilforoushan are to be congratulated for their efforts in putting together this exciting and comprehensive special issue on basement-involved fold-and-thrust belts. On behalf of Geological Magazine, I also thank the numerous authors and reviewers, whose efforts have made the special issue possible.

This is exactly the kind of issue that demonstrates why it is so enjoyable working in Earth Sciences at the present time. Collectively, the papers represent a tremendous and diverse set of achievements, on a very timely topic. Many papers on fold-and-thrust belts start with the assumption that deformation is entirely thin-skinned and decoupled from the basement. These papers challenge that assumption, and will provide a body of inspiration for academic and industry-based geoscientists alike. The scope ranges from traditional (and immensely valuable) field-based observations, to modelling approaches for understanding the underlying processes and principles involved in this kind of deformation. The range of specific study areas spans the globe, but with concentrations on specific mountain belts such as the Andes and Alps, thereby giving depth as well as breadth.

The papers in this issue are of very high quality and will help ensure the continued success of Geological Magazine. They serve as a reminder that the journal welcomes ideas for special issues, but also something of a challenge to potential Guest Editors and authors that such issues need time, enthusiasm and scientific excellence to be a success.