tectonic and environmental evolution of quaternary intramontane basins in southern apennines italy insights from palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic investigations summary southern apennines is characterized by active extensional tectonics with ne sw stretching direction the seismicity of the region is very well understood and continuously monitored in contrast the onset of extensional tectonics is chronologically poorly constrained the aim of this study is that to give important constraints on the development of extensional regime and the onset of the continental deposition during quaternary in southern apennines we report the results of palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses from four quaternary small intramontane basins in the picentini mountains southern apennines the sedimentary sequences are located at different altitudes from 600 to 1200 m a s l and were deposited in fluvial lacustrine environments we sampled 29 sites in clays and lacustrine limestones from tizzano piano del gaudo and acerno basins and in red palaeosoils and matrix supported conglomerates from the iumaiano basins in the clay and limestones samples magnetite titano magnetite hematite and iron sulphide have been recognized as the main magnetic carriers whereas magnetite and hematite characterize the iumaiano conglomerates and red soils palaeomagnetic results have been integrated with published radiometric data in order to constrain the age of each sedimentary basins sites from the iumaiano basin which represents the substrate of the tizzano and piano del gaudo basins show a reverse polarity and therefore have been attributed to the lower matuyama chron in contrast palaeomagnetic data from tizzano basin show a transition from reversed to normal polarity along the exposed section which has been interpreted as the matuyama brunhes transition sites from acerno and piano del gaudo basins show a normal polarity which according to radiometric and pollen data have been correlated to the brunhes epoch on the base of such results we discuss the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the basins and the role of extensional tectonics in this portion of the southern apennine during the quaternary

multidisciplinary approach for fault detection integration of ps insar geomorphological stratigraphic and structural data in the venafro intermontane basin central southern apennines italy abstract a multidisciplinary methodology integrating stratigraphic geomorphological and structural data combined with gis aided analysis and ps insar interferometric data was applied to characterize the relationships between ground deformations and the stratigraphic and the morphostructural setting of the venafro intermontane basin this basin is a morphostructural depression related to nw se and ne sw oriented high angle normal faults bordering and crossing it in particular a well known active fault crossing the plain is the aquae juliae fault whose recent activity is evidenced by archeoseismological data the approach applied here reveals new evidence of possible faulting acting during the lower to upper pleistocene which has driven the morphotectonic and the environmental evolution of the basin in particular the tectonic setting emerging from this study highlights the influence of the nw se oriented extensional phase during the late lower pleistocene early middle pleistocene in the generation of ne sw trending se dipping high angle faults and nw se trending high angle transtensive faults this phase has been followed by a ne sw extensional one responsible for the formation of nw se trending both nw and se dipping high angle normal faults and the reactivation of the oldest ne sw oriented structures these nw se trending normal faults include the aquae juliae fault and a new one unknown until now crossing the plain between the venafro village and the colle cupone mt hereinafter named the venafro colle cupone fault vccf this fault has controlled deposition of the youngest sedimentary units late middle pleistocene to late upper pleistocene suggesting its recent activity and it is well constrained by ps insar data as testified by the increase of the subsidence rate in the hanging wall block

paleomagnetism of jurassic to miocene sediments from the apenninic carbonate platform southern apennines italy evidence for a 60 counterclockwise miocene rotation abstract the tectonic evolution of the apennine belt southern tyrrhenian sea system is addressed through a paleomagnetic study of lias to langhian sediments from the apenninic carbonate platform southern apennines italy reliable paleomagnetic data gathered from 21 sites document a regional scale post langhian 80 counterclockwise ccw rotation since previous studies of the plio pleistocene clays spread over the orogen had shown a 20 ccw rotation we conclude that the southern apennines rotated by 60 during middle late miocene our data provide evidence that the southeastward drift of calabrian block and synchronous spreading of the southern tyrrhenian sea induced saloon door like deformation of the southern apennines and sicily which underwent similar magnitude although opposite in sign orogenic rotations a paleomagnetically derived paleogeographic reconstruction shows that at 15 ma late langhian the alpine apennine belt collided with a nne oriented carbonate platform corridor surrounded by oceanic basins we speculate that both the end of the corsica sardinia rotation and the eastward jump of the locus of back arc extension from the liguro provencal to the tyrrhenian sea may have been consequences of this event

the puglia uplift se italy an anomaly in the foreland of the apenninic subduction due to buckling of a thick continental lithosphere the apenninic foreland shows two distinct structural signatures comparing the central adriatic sea and the puglia region during the pliocene pleistocene the central adriatic underwent high subsidence rates due to the eastward rollback of the hinge of the west dipping apenninic subduction the puglia region and the bradanic foredeep are located southward along strike in the same foreland but in contrast with the central adriatic after pliocene early pleistocene subsidence they underwent uplift since the middle pleistocene the geometry and the kinematics of the frontal accretionary wedge and related foreland changed from that moment on between the two areas at the front of the central northern apennines off scraping and subsidence continued whereas the foredeep and foreland of the southern apennines were buckled those differences are interpreted as being due to the larger subduction hinge rollback rate since middle pleistocene of the central adriatic lithosphere 70 km thick with respect to the thicker puglia 110 km the different thicknesses of the continental crust and lithosphere were inherited from the mesozoic rifting that disrupted the adriatic plate the different thicknesses appear to have controlled the variable degree of flexure of the lithosphere and its asthenospheric penetration rate the tremiti e w alignment is the right lateral lithospheric transfer zone of those different tectonic regimes the consequent different dip of the subduction in the two sections steeper west of puglia could also explain the lower elevation of the southern apennines compared to their central northern sector

applying the multiple inverse method to the analysis of earthquake focal mechanism data new insights into the active stress field of italy and surrounding regions abstract in order to obtain new insights into the active tectonic setting of the italian territory and surrounding regions the multiple inverse method mim has been applied to the analysis of fault plane solutions from more than 700 earthquakes with m w 4 the active stress field in the top 40 km of the lithosphere has been defined for four 10 km thick layers each including 810 square cells of 1 5 side the obtained stress field maps point out that most of the upper crustal seismicity of the western and central alps is controlled by a strike slip regime which is dominant also in part of the dinarides albanides and hellenides and in a large sector encompassing eastern sicily and the malta area to the eastern tunisia offshore on the other hand the well known extensional belt occurring in the interior of the apennines appears to extend well beyond the backbone of italy potentially reaching the outer foothills of the northern marche region while the adjacent adria block extending to the eastern po plain and the outer dinarides sticks out as a major area characterised by dominant thrust faulting in the upper crust a similar regime characterises also a large sector of the western tyrrhenian sea from ne tunisia through western sicily and the west coast of sardinia to the provence coast besides lateral variations our analysis also points out a significant vertical heterogeneity of the stress field the deeper levels 20 to 40 km investigated in this study being characterised by dominant horizontal maximum compression even in areas of upper crustal extension the application of the mim to a large seismological dataset providing basic information for the compilation of active stress maps contributes to a better understanding of active tectonic processes and may be used for improving seismotectonic zoning and reservoir management

central zagros fold thrust belt iran new insights from seismic data field observation and sandbox modeling 1 we present five generalized cross sections across the central zagros fold and thrust belt iran these sections show that the fold geometry varies significantly both horizontally and vertically the style is closely related to the changes in the mechanical behavior of the lithostratigraphic horizons and in particular to the presence of intermediate decollements within the sedimentary pile restoration of the sections shows amounts of shortening of the same order from one section to the other however it appears to be unequally distributed suggesting variations in basal decollement shear strength analogue modeling has been performed to systematically investigate the effect of an intermediate decollement level at different depths on the style of folding the models demonstrate that the position of intermediate decollements is an important factor controlling both structural style and fold wavelength models with shallow intermediate decollement show regularly and widely spaced anticlines in these models the fold wavelength depends directly on the thickness of the dominant competent layer and short wavelength superficial structures mask broad anticlines at depth models with deep intermediate decollement are characterized by the rapid propagation of deformation with small rate of shortening along this decollement influencing localization of forthcoming anticlines in the upper levels such propagation favors the development of duplexes and multiwavelength folds on this basis fold kinematics in central zagros is discussed using the variation of structural style along different folds as an indicator of the sequence of deformation detachment folding is the main folding style at least for the initial stages of deformation and thrust faults developed only at later stages some of these faults branched on decollement levels express the progression of folding whereas others are linked to late basement faults cutting through early structures in general the decollement levels are activated sequentially from deeper horizons to shallower ones however in one case gachsaran decollement a shallow decollement is activated during the early stages of folding and then abandoned during the subsequent evolution

structure of the mountain front flexure along the anaran anticline in the pusht e kuh arc nw zagros iran insights from sand box models this is a contribution of the group of dynamics of the lithosphere gdl financed by a collaborative project between the institute of earth sciences jaume almera csic of barcelona spain and statoilhydro tehran and statoilhydro research centre with the partial support of project team consolider ingenio 2010 no csd 2006 00041

the source and origin of terrigenous sedimentary rocks in the mesoproterozoic ui group southeastern russia abstract arenites wackes and associated shales and siltstones of the ui group of riphcan age in southeastern siberia have been analyzed for petrographic major element and selected trace element compositions including the ree petrographic results suggest that the arenites may have been derived from granites and that the wackes may have been derived from more plagioclase rich rocks like tonalites or granodiorites the high quartz relative to other materials in many sandstones suggest that they may have been derived from intense chemical weathering or diagenesis so the mineralogic ratios may have been changed during these processes the shales and siltstones are composed mostly of illite and quartz in addition a cn k diagrams indicate that the wackes and associated shales and siltstones underwent k metasomatisim extrapolation of the shales and siltstones associated with the wackes back to the plagioclase alkali feldspar line in the a cn k diagram suggests a high average plagioclase to alkali feldspar ratio in the provenance tonalite to granodiorite extrapolation of shales and siltstones associated with the arenites suggest a low plagioclase to alkali feldspar ratio in the provenance granite in addition the index of compositional variability icv and chemical index of alteration cia parameters of the shales and siltstones suggest the weathering of the first cycle material was intense trace element ratios suggest all the sedimentary rocks were derived from mostly granitoids shales and siltstones were plotted as elemental ratios e g th sc vs eu eu these plots suggest a mix of a granodiorite tonalite source for the source of the shales and siltstones associated with the wackes with a granite source for the shales and siltstones associated with the arenites the arenites also contain lower eu eu and higher th co and th sc ratios than the wackes this as is consistent with the petrography suggests that the arenites were derived from a source with more granite and less granodiorite tonalite than the wackes

pre quaternary orogen parallel extension in the southern apennine belt italy abstract the southern apennine fold and thrust belt differs from other parts of the peri tyrrhenian orogen in most of the peri tyrrhenian belt hinterland extension is oriented at a high angle to the orogen axis and appears to be related to rifting and formation of oceanic crust within the tyrrhenian basin the southern apennines share the late stage development of normal faults related to the opening of the tyrrhenian sea but also experienced an episode of extension parallel to the strike of the tectonic belt the orogen parallel extension was apparently formed in response to the increase in length of the deformed belt during arcuation arcuation ostensibly was related to asymmetrical rifting in the hinterland which was greater in the southern tyrrhenian sea than in areas to the north and proportionately greater shortening in the frontal parts of the southern belt as compared to regions in the north during arcuation extension was spatially concentrated within structural domains and was accomplished by displacement on low angle detachment faults cutting through a previously imbricated thrust stack during the miocene pliocene nnw sse extension in the interior of the southern appennine belt formed coveally with ene wsw shortening in the foreland longitudinal extension ceased in the pleistocene when younger high angle normal faults formed in response to the easterly migration of tyrrhenian sea rifting and ne sw extension associated with lithospheric stretching

fault plane solutions and seismicity of the italian peninsula abstract a new fault plane solution map of the italian peninsula is presented in this paper the earthquakes analyzed are included in the period 1905 1980 with magnitudes ranging 4 7 75 earthquakes are located in the crust while 31 are related to the deep and intermediate zone of the calabrian arc the large seismic events of the italian peninsula are generally associated with normal faulting while strike slip motion is mostly related to small earthquakes located along lateral segments of the mountain chain the deep and intermediate earthquakes of the tyrrhenian sea indicate predominant down dip compression and strike slip motion at the boundaries of this benioff zone this last is interpreted as a remnant of a subduction zone active since oligocene extending to 500 km depth with a very small lateral size about 300 km the present tectonics of this benioff zone is strongly conditioned by the lateral bending more so than the gravitational sinking process the coexistence of thrust and normal faulting motion associated to the earthquakes within a few tens of kilometers of each other seems to be explained by the strong lateral inhomogeneities of the crustal rocks present in this region more so than to the depth of the seismogenetic zone and the nature of the faulting process

timing of thrust activity in the high zagros fold thrust belt iran from u th he thermochronometry 1 apatite and zircon u th he cooling ages are used to quantify the timing of exhumation associated with thrust faulting in the high zagros fold thrust belt single grain cooling age data were collected from 1 cambrian sandstone in various thrust sheets 2 sandstone and basement clasts derived from structurally controlled salt plugs or fault bounded slices and 3 syntectonic neogene siliciclastics strata in the northwestern kuhrang and central kuh e lajin high zagros apatite u th he ahe ages range from 26 7 to 0 38 ma most cooling and exhumation occurred in the early to middle miocene constrained by ahe ages 19 15 ma from the high zagros thrust sheet localized faults and reset cooling ages from bakhtiyari deposits in the southeastern high zagros kuh e dinar cooling occurred later with ahe ages ranging from 16 5 to 0 79 ma here most cooling and exhumation occurred in the late miocene constrained by ahe ages 12 8 ma from the high zagros fault and exhumed paleozoic clasts in synorogenic strata zircon u th he zhe ages from bedrock samples across the high zagros are reflective of the precollisional thermal history the preservation of precollisional zhe ages limits the pre miocene maximum burial temperature of the exhumed strata to 180 c and indicate 7 9 km of maximum exhumation in the central zagros this study shows that thrust activity in the high zagros and continental suturing along the zagros suture was underway by at least 19 ma and initiated no later than latest oligocene to early miocene time 23 ma

finite element modelling of stress field perturbations and interseismic crustal deformation in the val d agri region southern apennines italy abstract the val d agri area provides the opportunity to analyse active structures in a seismic region for which a large amount of subsurface data is available this area which was struck in 1857 by one of the most destructive earthquakes in italy mw 7 03 represents a unique natural laboratory to gain new insights into geometry modes and rates of faulting controlling crustal deformation in an actively extending orogen in this study a crustal geological section through the southern apennines is discretized into a finite element model fem we present a 2d elastoplastic fem that reproduces stress perturbations and strain field around the val d agri active fault system the influence of fault strand activity on interseismic crustal deformation is tested by a series of computer models whose predictions are compared with the horizontal velocity components of continuous gps sites in the region and with stress directions and geological data the best fit with available geological and geophysical constraints is obtained with a 300 km long 29 km deep model formed by a multilayer including three components having different rheological characteristics and including several shallow locked fault segments which branch into a freely slipping major basement fault at depth finite element modelling provides new insights into the controversial and widely debated active tectonic setting of the study area pointing out the fundamental role played by a structural reactivation process involving inherited long lived mature fault systems at depth our fem reconciling apparently contrasting geological and geophysical constraints from the study area points to maximum stress build up and strain accumulation at a depth of 15 5 km such a depth range is suggested as the most likely one for the nucleation of large events such as the 1857 val d agri earthquake

paleostresses of the groningen area the netherlands results of a seismic based structural reconstruction article i nfo we describe a novel workflow to reconstruct paleostresses in the subsurface where the traditional outcrop based method that uses fault slip measurements is not possible we use 3d seismic data and structural restoration to determine fault surfaces and slip vectors these data are then used as input for paleostress reconstruction algorithms the study area of ca 750 km 2 is situated in the groningen block the netherlands excellent quality 3d seismic data were used to interpret 11 horizons and approximately 80 faults between the tertiary and the top rotliegend indicators of fault slip direction are fault undulations sedimentary structures offset by faults and shapes of horizon cut outs these indicators were used as a basis of 3d restoration of the interpreted horizons a stepwise restoration approach was chosen that removed younger deformation to obtain slip vectors for older deformation events in a following work step numeric dynamic analysis nda was used to calculate paleostress tensors for the middle and lower tertiary upper cretaceous and upper rotliegend sequences the results presented in this paper are consistent with existing paleostress interpretations for nw europe however in contrast to previous studies they are derived from a subsurface volume where paleostress information was lacking until now issues that need further study include the effect of the size of the study area on the assumptions of a homogenous stress field and an analysis of the ambiguity of the interpretation of fault slip indicators on 3d seismic data

the vallo di diano and auletta extensional basins in the southern apennines italy a simple model for a complex setting this work has been developed within the 2005 2008 firb project research and development of new technologies for protection and defence of territory from natural risks w p c3 crustal imaging in italy coordinated by p montone funded by the italian ministry of uni versity and research

how and why the present tectonic setting in the apennine belt has developed the building of the apennine belt slowed down or ceased around the early pleistocene since then the belt has undergone strong uplift and considerable distortion this change from belt normal to belt parallel shortening has been determined by the fact that the continental adriatic domain adria was almost completely surrounded by buoyant orogenic structures in that context the mobility of adria underwent a considerable reduction whereas uplift and deformation of its southern part was strongly emphasized as an effect of the convergence of the confining plates around the middle pleistocene the deformation pattern in the peri adriatic zones changed again in response to acceleration of adria the outer adriatic sector of the apennine belt underwent belt parallel shortening accommodated by uplift and outward escape of upper crustal wedges the separation between the extruding wedges and the almost stable inner belt has generated a series of extensional or transtensional fault systems along the axial part of the apennines which now correspond to the main seismogenic sources the spatio temporal distribution of major tectonic events in the study area can plausibly be explained as an effect of the least action principle thematic collection this article is part of the apennines and tyrrhenian system collection available at https www lyellcollection org cc the apennines tyrrhenian system

a review on the driving mechanism of the tyrrhenian apennines system implications for the present seismotectonic setting in the central northern apennines abstract the formation of the tyrrhenian apennines system has been characterized by a complex distribution of major tectonic events such as opening of basins migration and distortion of orogenic belts retreat of trench zones stopping of consuming processes and starting of new subductions the various aspects of each event such as timing location dimension and deformation style impose important constraints on the genetic mechanism in this work we argue that the numerous constraints implied by all events together may be plausibly and coherently explained as effects of the convergence of the confining africa arabia and eurasia plates crucial evidence for discriminating among the various geodynamic hypotheses so far advanced is provided by the structural tectonic information recently provided by crop seismic sections in the study area the proposed evolutionary history is illustrated by several paleogeographic maps which provide a more detailed reconstruction than previous attempts particular attention is paid to describing the tectonic setting developed since the middle pleistocene in the apennines belt and its connection with seismic activity

small scale faulting in the upper cretaceous of the groningen block the netherlands 3d seismic interpretation fault plane analysis and regional paleostress abstract over the last years field based studies have shown that fault surfaces can exhibit a considerable self affine topography it is reasonable to assume that similar undulations are also present in fault interpretations from 3d reflection seismic data however both the interpretation uncertainty and geophysical resolution limits hinder their analysis this study analyses a set of small scale non reactivated faults in the upper cretaceous chalk group upper ommelanden formation of the nw part of the groningen block the netherlands in a high quality pre stack depth migrated 3d seismic data set the studied faults are fully contained inside the chalk group in an area located between the major tectonic bounding faults of the nw groningen block over 200 faults with offsets in the order of 30 50 m were interpreted across an area of ca 150 km 2 showing a clear preferential orientation for strike dip and dip direction detailed interpretations and 3d fault plane analyses show undulations on the fault plane we show that these undulations are not an interpretation or gridding artefact and interpret these to indicate direction of fault slip these results were used to calculate a paleostress tensor using all faults to calculate a single stress tensor for the entire study area by numerical dynamic analysis based on the orientation position and a thickness analysis it is interpreted that these faults formed due to the tectonic reactivation of salt structures in the latest cretaceous the calculated paleostress state shows a general nw se extension with a vertical maximum principle stress and a stress ratio of about 0 3 indicating that the studied faults are not the result of dewatering this interpretation agrees both with a nearby salt tectonic reconstruction as well as field based paleostress results from the uk belgium and france a first look at other surveys from the dutch sector indicates that similar faults are present in other areas with different orientations we propose that a dedicated analysis of these faults across on and offshore europe would allow extending the stress map of the late cretaceous into areas where the chalk is not outcropping

modes and timing of fracture network development in poly deformed carbonate reservoir analogues mt chianello southern italy abstract structural and paleostress analyses carried out on a kilometre sized outcrop of allochthonous shallow water carbonate units of the southern apennines allowed us to unravel a superposed deformation pattern associated with plate convergence the reconstructed tectonic evolution involves i early extensional faulting and fracturing associated with bending of the foreland lithosphere during forebulge and foredeep stages including the development of both tangential and radial normal fault and tensile fractures early middle miocene ii large scale thrusting and folding late miocene iii transcurrent faulting including two distinct sub stages characterized by different remote stress fields pliocene early pleistocene and iv extensional faulting late quaternary stage i normal faults generally occurring as conjugate sets and related fractures and veins are variably deformed and overprinted by later horizontal shortening despite having experienced such a long and complex structural history the studied carbonates are characterized by a background fracture network including two joint vein sets orthogonal to each other and to bedding that appears to be associated with the early fault sets that formed during the first foredeep forebulge related deformation stage therefore away from younger late miocene to quaternary fault zones the permeability structure of the studied carbonates appears to be essentially controlled by the early inherited fracture network as a similar fracture network is likely to characterize also the buried apulian platform carbonates representing the reservoir units for major oil fields in southern italy our results also bear possible implications for a better understanding of fluid flow in the subsurface and related hydrocarbon production

an inverse problem in microtectonics for the determination of stress tensors from fault striation analysis abstract a method is proposed to compute some characteristics of a possible stress tensor related to striations measured in a given faulted area if several tectonic phases are responsible for the striations the method separates and determines the successive stress tensors the iterative algorithm consists of alternatively a sorting the data attributed to a tectonic phase and b computing the characteristics of the stress tensor of this phase the method is tested using an application to synthetic and actual data

rift asymmetry and continental uplift 1 the topography of ocean ridges and rifts show a distinct asymmetry the eastern sides of the east pacific rise the mid atlantic ridge and the nw indian ridge are on average 100 300 m more elevated than the conjugate flank to the west the asymmetry is maintained when bathymetry is plotted versus the square root of crustal age a comparable topographic asymmetry occurs in the red sea and baikal rifts where the eastern continental shoulders are more elevated we suggest that depleted and lighter asthenosphere generated below the ocean ridge was shifted eastward relative to the lithosphere determining a density deficit below the eastern flank the eastward migration of the lighter atlantic asthenosphere below the african continent could eventually have contributed to the anomalous postrift uplift of africa this model suggests that the westward drift of the lithosphere relative to the underlying mantle might be a global phenomenon

low angle normal faulting and focused exhumation associated with late pliocene change in tectonic style in the southern apennines italy in the southern apennines low temperature thermochronometry data indicate that exhumation of previous tectonically buried sedimentary units started at around 10 ma and took place mostly during the last 6 ma relatively high exhumation rates are obtained from apatite fission track aft and u th he ahe analysis pointing to a substantial contribution of tectonic processes to rock exhumation besides erosion exhumation rates derived from new apatite u th he data ahe for the last 3 ma are generally lower than rates determined by aft data and almost in line with erosion rates inferred from cosmogenic nuclides and sediment yield thus suggesting that tectonic exhumation was dominant during the older exhumation stages of this region however younger cooling ages in the monte alpi area from both aft and ahe analyses point out focused exhumation during the last 3 ma structural and morphotectonic analyses indicate that fast exhumation occurred specifically in this area where the apulian platform reservoir carbonates elsewhere buried beneath a several kilometer thick allochthonous cover are exposed at the surface as a result of a complex interplay between steep rooted reverse faulting and shallow low angle extension this deformation involved the development of foreland dipping low angle normal faults affecting the allochthonous cover units during the late stages of reverse fault related anticlinal growth in the underlying buried carbonates extension of the region triggered focused exhumation in the footwall of the extensional low angle faults which was followed by widespread crustal extension and associated development of high angle normal faults leading to surface uplift of monte alpi

ground movements and sea level changes in urban areas 5000 years of geological and archaeological record from naples southern italy abstract the occasion offered by the construction of a new branch of naples subway and the related geotechnical and archaeological investigations allowed recognition that the city shoreline underwent remarkable changes during the late holocene highstand when coastal evolution was influenced by vertical ground movements in particular for three investigation sites the density and quality of data were such to permit for the first time the reconstruction of graphs of relative sea level change rslc which compared with curves of the coeval eustatic changes in the tyrrhenian sea were transformed into data about the late holocene history of local tectonics by averaging the data collected in all the different sites the obtained curve of the tectonics suggests that the coastal strip of naples underwent a subsidence rate of 1 3 mm a from about 5000 bp to the xii century ad followed by a 1 m uplift during the last eight centuries mean rate of 1 0 mm a the subsidence trend is consistent with the regional tectonics even if the mean rate was less that in other portions of the bay of naples graben probably because the study area lies among the parallel synthetic faults forming the nw margin of that depression magnaghi sebeto fault zone and not on the proper hanging wall block the prevailing subsiding trend was probably interrupted by minor episodes of uplift not only in the last eight centuries but also during the 3rd millennium bc likely in connection with periods in which the volcano tectonic phenomena of the phlegrean fields district superimposed on the descending movements caused by the msfz the three investigation sites share substantially the same tectonic behaviour in the long term but the details of their rslc records show also discrepancies in some centuries if not due to errors in dating and or in estimating palaeo elevations such discrepancies could be ascribed to episodes of fragmentary tectonic behaviour due probably to occasional reactivation of some e w trending minor lines of the magnaghi sebeto fault zone

numerical investigation of deformation mechanics in fold and thrust belts influence of rheology of single and multiple decollements 1 thin skinned fold and thrust belts related to convergence tectonics develop by scraping off a rock sequence along a weaker basal decollement often formed by water saturated shale layers or low viscosity salt horizons a two dimensional finite element model with a viscoelastoplastic rheology is used to investigate the structural evolution of fold and thrust belts overlying different types of decollements in addition the influence of multiple weak layers in the stratigraphic column is studied model shale decollements are frictional with lower friction angles as the cover sequence model salt layers behave linear viscous due to a lower viscosity as the cover sequence or with a power law rheology single viscous decollement simulations have been compared to an analytical solution concerning faulting versus folding results show that fold and thrust belts with a single frictional basal decollement generate thrust systems ramping from the decollement to the surface spacing between thrust ramps depends on the thickness of the cover sequence the structural evolution of simulations with an additional low frictional layer depends on the strength relationship between the basal and the intersequential decollement tectonic underplating and antiformal stacking occur if the within sequence decollement is weaker in the frontal part of models deformation is restricted to the upper part and imbrication occurs with a wavelength depending on the depth of the intermediate weak layer salt decollement with a viscosity of 10 18 pa s leads to isolated box folds detachment folds multiple salt layers 10 18 pa s result in long wavelength folding our results for both frictional and viscous decollements are in bulk agreement with the mohr coulomb type critical wedge theory citation ruh j b b j p kaus and j p burg 2012 numerical investigation of deformation mechanics in fold and thrust belts influence of rheology of single and multiple decollements tectonics 31 tc3005 doi 10 1029 2011tc003047

prediction of some weathering trends of plutonic and volcanic rocks based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations abstract the exposed crust consists mainly of plagioclase 35 quartz 20 k feldspar 11 volcanic glass 12 biotite 8 and muscovite 5 quartz is a resistate thus feldspars and glass represent approximately 75 percent of the labile minerals the weathering characteristics of these constituents are summarized in the context of thermodynamic mass balance and kinetic considerations experimentally determined release rate constants were used to predict the proportions of ca na and k released by feldspars of plutonic rocks granites to gabbros to weathering solutions the chemical weathering trends of the weathered residues calculated from the kinetic data conform closely to the initial trends observed in some recent weathering profiles demonstrating the accuracy of the predictions since the weathering of feldspars is controlled by processes that should not change through geological time the relative release rates of ca na and k from the feldspars of granitic rocks can be calculated for future and past episodes of continental weathering experimentally determined release rate constants are not available for a wide range of volcanic glass compositions but the limited data indicate that compositional trends are predictable in weathering profiles developed on volcanic rocks the kinetic data available for rhyolitic glasses accurately predict the initial weathering trends observed in a recent rhyolite weathering profile

middle to late pleistocene activity of the northern matese fault system southern apennines italy abstract an integrated investigation including geological geomorphological geophysical and structural survey tephra analyses 14c and 40ar 39ar dating as well as paleoseismic trenching along the n matese fault system is presented the study allowed the characterization of the tectonic mobility of this structure as well as the associated bojano basin sedimentary tectonic evolution since the early middle pleistocene providing also new clues concerning the fault historical activity and the associated mw 6 5 earthquakes we have found lines of evidence for 1 mm yr slip rate along the presently buried bojano fault during the mid middle pleistocene and similar rates for the main fault segments paralleling the matese flanks the buried bojano fault significantly slowed down during the last 300 kyr ceasing its activity before the holocene in turn the segments outcropping along the matese flanks reactivated at the onset of late pleistocene after a long period of quiescence 480 110 ka with robust slip rates that would seem even accelerating in post lgm times paleoseismic data suggest the occurrence of four mw 6 6 earthquakes in the past 3 ka three of which match the little known 280 bc event and the devastating 1456 and 1805 earthquakes

constraints on palaeodrainage evolution induced by uplift and exhumation on the southern flank of the zagros iranian plateau foreland sedimentary rocks from the northern fars region of iran contain a record of deformation associated with the cenozoic collision between arabia and eurasia that resulted in formation of the zagros orogen the timing of the deformation associated with this event is poorly known to address this we conducted a study of miocene foreland sedimentary rocks 19 7 14 8 ma of the chahar makan syncline using clast composition clay mineralogy and low temperature fission track dating the results showed that most of the sedimentary rocks were sourced from ophiolitic rocks detrital apatite fission track aft age signatures of miocene sedimentary rocks record exhumation in the hanging wall of the main zagros thrust and confirm that the change from underthrusting of the stretched arabian margin to widespread crustal thickening and deformation in the zagros region is no younger than 19 7 ma a transition from late oligocene to mesozoic eocene aft detrital age signatures between 19 7 16 6 ma and 16 6 13 8 ma is interpreted to reflect a possible rearrangement of palaeodrainage distribution that resulted from folding and expansion uplift of the zagros iranian plateau region supplementary material details of the succession of the study area a complete presentation of sample preparation and fission track age measurements of apatite grains and examples of x ray diffractograms are available at http www geolsoc org uk sup18502

weathering and global denudation a negative correlation between sediment yield and weathering history as measured by the chemical alteration cia of the suspended sediment is observed for many of the world s major rivers and other regions of denudation the weathering history is a first order control on the sediment yield of such areas termed equilibrium denudation regions for other areas data scatter with either apparent increases or decreases of sediment yield for given cia values these areas are termed nonequilibrium denudation regions low sediment yields can be attributed to moderated erosion either natural or human induced and or the incorporation of unweathered glacial debris accelerated erosion resulting in high sediment yield is primarily human induced and results from cultivation and other land use each of these effects has a profound influence on global sediment discharge from the continents pre human suspended sediment discharge from the continents is estimated to be 12 6 times 10 15 g yr or about 0 6 the

variation of structural style and basin evolution in the central zagros izeh zone and dezful embayment iran abstract structural style and its relationship to sedimentary facies and the evolution of sedimentary depocenters since late cretaceous times have been studied on the basis of one regional balanced transect and several updated isopach maps in the izeh zone and the dezful embayment central zagros this study relies on fieldwork data existing geological maps seismic data and well information a new structural classification for part of the zagros sedimentary cover is presented to highlight the different mechanical behavior of the formations in the stratigraphic column it shows the existence of several local decollement levels activated during folding these decollement levels separate lithotectonic units which accommodate shortening in different ways the lower paleozoic is the basal decollement level throughout the studied area triassic evaporites albian shales eocene marls and miocene evaporites can act as intermediate decollement levels and present variable facies in the central zagros lateral facies and thickness variations the sedimentary overburden and the close relationship with inherited fault patterns influenced the wavelength amplitude and style of folding in the study area furthermore surface structures do not necessarily coincide with deeper objectives where these disharmonic levels are involved in folding the evolution of sedimentary depocenters from the late cretaceous obduction episode until early miocene collision is described based on updated isopach maps and tectonic subsidence curves this analysis shows continuous compression and movements along n s and nw se trending faults in the zagros basement which predate the neogene zagros folding and influence sedimentation history it also indicates a southwestward migration of the depocenters through time in addition to the basement involvement below some folds during the zagros orogeny

structural evolution of the tyrrhenian back arc basin abstract the tyrrhenian basin has developed as a marginal basin through drifting of the calabrian sicilian arc system towards the east southeast the main structural features of the basin result from this movement the tensional structures normal faults of the margins are mainly aligned n10 to n30 e the transform faults are oriented n110 n120 e except for a previous structuralization linked to the western mediterranean rifting and drifting the first extensional movements affected the tyrrhenian area as early as lower miocene time during the post burdigalian nevertheless the main rifting phase which led to oceanic accretion was initiated during the late tortonian the narrow central oceanic area generated mainly around the early pliocene is restricted to the rift s axis the marginal basin type of evolution of the tyrrhenian sea is most probably directly linked to subduction of the ionian lithosphere nevertheless interferences between collision in the surrounding apennines calabria or sicilides and subduction processes have dominated this special back arc basin evolution since late tortonian time the tyrrhenian arc shows a regional n120 e oriented tensional pattern short compressional events occur briefly in middle pliocene and middle pleistocene times correlated with brief paroxysmal phases of extension and subsidence the deformation depends on the presence of a subduction zone parallel to the calabrian arc swell which allows the migration of the unblocked segments of the arc in a n120 e direction

the opening processes in the deep tyrrhenian basins of marsili and vavilov as deduced from magnetic and chronological evidence of their igneous crust abstract shapes and chronology of magnetic anomalies of the mafic crust flooring the marsili and vavilov abyssal plains in the central tyrrhenian sea are discussed in the marsili deep basin the possible 3 phase evolution of a magmatic tectonic process of spreading is considered the early magmatic phase apparently took place at the time of the olduvai magnetic event 1 87 to 1 67 ma b p site 650 of the ocean drilling project leg 107 it appears to consist of spreading manifestations of a low magnetic intensity and a round shape forming the igneous basement around the marsili volcano the late phase was characterized by a spreading process exhibiting a linear configuration and high intensity of the magnetic anomalies organized spreading this phase of the brunhes epoch has given rise to the great marsili volcano emplaced in the basin s central part the intermediate phase shows reversed magnetic polarity and slightly elongated shapes it appears to have developed in late matuyama times from 1 67 to 0 73 ma ago the intensities of the magnetic anomalies in the basin of vavilov are on the whole lower than those present in the magnetic field of the marsili also in the vavilov deep basin the magnetic anomalies associated with the early volcanic manifestations which are of late miocene age about 7 5 ma are characterized by low intensity and a round shape whereas those associated with the effusions on the vavilov volcano whose age ranges from late pliocene to late quaternary from 2 4 to less than 0 12 ma exhibit a high intensity and a linear shape the two bathyal plains have inter arc structural settings from west to east the vavilov bathyal plain is bordered by the orogenic volcanic belt of the island of sardinia and maybe a central tyrrhenian arc the latter and the arc of the eolie which is active in the present time border the marsili plain the ages of the early spreading processes in the bathyal plains respectively from about 10 to 6 ma and from 1 9 to 1 3 ma appear to represent distinctive temporal markers in fact they may be coincident with the periods of quiescence of the volcanic activity that affected the adjoining arcs

a high resolution tephrochronological record of mis 14 12 in the southern apennines acerno basin italy abstract lithological mineralogical and glass chemical analyses on juvenile fragments extracted from 20 tephra layers embedded within the lacustrine sediments of the acerno basin southern apennines italy were carried out together with four sanidine 40 ar 39 ar age determinations the measured ages span the interval between 561 and 493 ka middle pleistocene eruptive activity at roman province volcanoes was identified as the main possible source of the investigated tephra layers some of them were correlated with precise terrestrial counterparts corresponding to large explosive events of the sabatini e g tufo giallo della via tiberina and alban hills volcanic districts e g tufo pisolitico di trigoria the integration of tephrochronology and pollen analyses allowed the acerno lacustrine sedimentation to be constrained between mis 14 and 12 which overlaps with several well studied lacustrine successions of the southern apennines the correlation with other tephrostratigraphic records from intramontane basins in central southern apennines testifies to the wide dispersal of at least three tephra layers that serve as marker layers thus improving the resolution of the middle pleistocene italian tephrostratotype

tectonics of the zagros orogenic belt of iran new data and interpretations abstract the zagros orogenic belt of iran is the result of the opening and closure of the neo tethys oceanic realm and consists from northeast to southwest of three parallel tectonic subdivisions 1 1 the urumieh dokhtar magmatic assemblage 2 2 the sanandaj sirjan zone and 3 3 the zagros simply folded belt recent detailed and reconnaissance mapping and stratigraphie structural analyses in various parts of the belt indicate that the tectonics of the sanandaj sirjan zone is dominated by either large scale composite duplex structures or low and high angle ne dipping imbricate systems these thrust systems have transported numerous horses and sheets nappes of metamorphosed and non metamorphosed phanerozoic rocks for tens or possibly hundreds of kilometers stratigraphic evidence and synorogenic conglomerates indicate that thrusting was initiated in the late cretaceous and has continued episodically since that time shear sense indicators in various parts of the zone reveal a ne sw direction of transport thrust systems generated in each episode are superimposed upon the previous structures cutting across and displacing them and producing complicated stacks of thrust sheets southwestward transport and stacking of the thrust sheets has resulted in an increase of about 10 15 km in the thickness of the continental crust in the southwestern part of this zone the so called z main zagros thrust which has been traditionally considered as the boundary between the sanandaj sirjan zone and the zagros simply folded belt is by no means a single high angle reverse fault nor is it a narrow zone of crushed rocks but a series of low angle thrusts locally cut by normal faults these thrusts are indistinguishable from those mapped in the sanandaj sirjan zone and are geometrically part of the sanandaj sirjan zone structures there is no single thrust among them that can be singled out and referred to as the main one the boundary of the sanandaj sirjan zone with the urumieh dokhtar magmatic assemblage to the northeast is characterized by a series of structural depressions formed by compression rock sequences including ophiolite complexes exposed along this boundary are strongly dismembered sheared and mylonitized shearing planes and foliations are either subvertical or dipping at high angles to the northeast this zone is suggested to be the suture between the afro arabian and the iranian plates overall the intensity of deformation increases northeastward from the persian gulf mesopotamian basin where strata are undeformed and horizontal through the zagros simply folded belt which is characterized by en echelon doubly plunging flexural slip folds gentle to open in the southwest and close to locally sw overturned in the northeast the intensity of deformation continues to increase further northeastward through the sanandaj sirjan zone where thrust faulting is dominant this pattern suggests that the deformational front has migrated through time from the northeastern part of the sanandaj sirjan zone i e the suture zone to its present position in the central portion of the persian gulf mesopotamian foreland basin

structural and sedimentary features in the tyrrhenian margin off campania southern italy abstract the utilization of multichannel seismic reflection profiles permits the identification of the generally e w trending miocene orogenic and plio quaternary post orogenic features of apennine nw se and anti apennine ne sw trends in the campanian margin the former features are constituted by carbonate and or allochthonous sheets which were thrust mainly towards the north and northeast during the miocene tectogenetic phases the latter are represented by extensional structures which affected the orogenic features during plio quaternary times the anti apennine tectonic trend is responsible for the recent late pliocene quaternary and remarkable block faulting differential subsidence of the southern margin as well as for its present morphology the ragged and disconnected pattern of the allochthonous units over the present day slope and their accumulation underneath the shelf area suggest that they are the result of gravitational gliding tectonics gravity cores and 3 5 khz subbottom profiles indicate that the salerno trough and capri basin areas are characterized by a particular neotectonic mobility this is proved by the thick and coarse grained sediment accumulation from steep relief produced by block faulting this faulting created uplift belts serving as sediment source

decoding the role of tectonics incision and lithology on drainage divide migration in the mt alpi region southern apennines italy abstract the proclivity of river networks to progressively carve mountain surfaces and preserve markers of landscape adjustments has made analyses of fluvial systems fundamental for understanding the topographic development of orogens however the transient nature of uplift and erosion has posed a challenge for inferring the roles that tectonics and or climate have played on generating topographic relief the mt alpi region in the southern apennines has a heterogeneous distribution of elevated topography erosionally resistant lithology and uplift making the area optimal for conducting topographic and river analyses to better understand the landscape development of a transient orogen stream length gradient normalized channel steepness stream convexity and first order channel gradient indices from 10 m digital elevation data from the region exhibit stream profile inconsistencies along the current drainage divide and a dominance of high values subparallel but inboard of the primary chain axis irrespective of known transient landscape factors suggesting that the current river network may be in a state of transition the location of these stream profile anomalies both near the modern drainage divide and subparallel to an isolated swath of high topography away from catchment boundaries is thought to be the topographic expression of an imminent drainage divide migration driven primarily by the northeast vergent extension of the western chain axis

the cr th ratio in precambrian pelites from the kaapvaal craton as an index of craton evolution the cr th ratio in precambrian pelites from the kaapvaal craton in southern africa correlates with pelite th sc and co th ratios and appears to monitor changes in source composition it is a more sensitive indicator of provenance than other commonly used ratios including eu eu la yb and th u pelite cr th ratios are controlled most strongly by the effects of local provenance and local tectonics secular decreases in this ratio the most prominent of which occurred at 2 4 2 3 ga in pelites of the kaapvaal craton record rapid uplift exposing granite decreases in the ratio reflect increases in the abundance of komatiite basalt in sediment sources in response to arc collisions rift hotspot volcanism or intracratonic uplift of older greenstones relatively constant cr th ratios appear to require widespread uplift or and efficient sediment mixing during tectonic stability changes in cr th ratio of kaapvaal pelites reflect a complex tectonic history of the craton from about 3 3 ga to 1 8 ga and do not favor single stage cratonization in the late archean

evolution of the late quaternary san gregorio magno tectono karstic basin southern italy inferred from geomorphological tephrostratigraphical and palaeoecological analyses tectonic implications the pantano di san gregorio magno is a 4 7 km 2 large tectono karstic basin located in the axial belt of the southern apennines an area affected by intense seismicity the basin was formed in the middle pleistocene and is presently undissected it is filled by lacustrine sediments clays silts and pyroclastic sands passing laterally into alluvial fan deposits geomorphological investigations were integrated with tephrostratigraphical palynological and palaeoecological analyses of a 61 m thick core not reaching the bedrock the multiproxy analysis of the s gregorio magno record shows that over the last 200k yr the basin hosted a freshwater lake with an oscillating level age constraints provided by the tephrostratigraphic record allowed estimation of the sedimentation rate which varied strongly through time evolution of the basin resulted from the complex combination of tectonic subsidence karst processes and changing amounts of sedimentary inputs the latter was influenced by allogenic contributions related both to primary and reworked volcanoclastic inputs and was climate driven the overall evidence which indicates that in the long term the accumulation rate substantially counterbalanced the accommodation space created by faulting suggests that the basin evolution was also modulated by changing subsidence rates copyright 2006 john wiley sons ltd

the mineral springs of the scrajo spa sorrento peninsula italy a case of natural seawater intrusion this paper deals with the mineral springs feeding the scrajo spa in the sorrento peninsula southeast of naples approximately 6 km from castellammare di stabia another spa location the scrajo mineral water is sulphureous salt bromine iodic and co2 rich the two hydromineral areas fall within the groundwater basin of mt faito formed chiefly by limestones due to the high permeability of the limestones there is considerable rainwater infiltration which recharges a basal fresh groundwater resting on denser seawater this groundwater body feeds the mineral springs of the scrajo spa the springs of castellammare di stabia and some submarine springs all the data gathered for the scrajo springs led to propose the following mineralisation scheme 1 the basal fresh groundwater of mt faito on underlying seawater receives endogenous contributions of co2 and h2s which cause a natural seawater intrusion within the fresh groundwater 2 the upwelling of gases would appear to occur via the major faults which bound sorrento peninsula to the nw 3 during the year the chemistry of the springs changes according to different degrees of seawater intrusion the minimum occurs in june and the maximum in november the close interaction between the sea and the scrajo s mineral waters but also those of castellammare di stabia highlights their particular vulnerability not only to over extraction of groundwater but also to climate change finally a hypothesis is presented to explain the connection between the mineral waters rich in co2 and h2s and the concentration of karst phenomena observed in the scrajo area

late tertiary quaternary tectonics of the southern apennines italy new evidences from the tyrrhenian slope this paper summarises the results of combined structural and geomorphological investigations we carried out in two key areas in order to obtain new data on the structure and evolution of the tyrrhenian slope of the southern apennines analysis by a stress inversion method angelier j 1994 fault slip analysis and paleostress reconstruction in continental deformation p l hancock ed pergamon press oxford 53 100 of fault slip data from mesozoic to quaternary formations allowed the reconstruction of states of stress at different time intervals by integrating these data with those deriving from the stratigraphic and morphotectonic records chronology and timing of the sequence of the deformation events was obtained the tectonic history of the region can be related to four deformation events structures related to the first event that was dominated by a strike slip regime with a nw se oriented 1 and was active since mid late miocene do not significantly affect the present day landscape as they were strongly displaced and overprinted by subsequent deformation events and or deleted by erosion the second and third events that may be considered as the main responsible for the morphostructural signature of the region are comparable with the stretching phases recognised offshore and considered to be responsible for the opening and widening of the tyrrhenian basin in particular the second event with an e w oriented 3 took place in the late miocene earliest pliocene and was first dominated by a strike slip regime that was also responsible for thrusting and folding since late pliocene it was dominated by an extensional regime that created large vertical offsets along n s to nw se trending faults the third event that was dominated by extension with a nw se oriented 3 started in the early pleistocene and was responsible for formation of the horst and graben structure with ne sw trend that characterises the tyrrhenian margin of the southern apennines the fourth deformation event which is characterised by an extensional regime with a ne sw trending 3 started in the late middle pleistocene and is currently active

high precision 40ar 39ar age of the gas emplacement into the songliao basin the problem of determining an exact isotopic age of hydrocarbon emplacement is complex because minerals suitable for dating with common isotopic methods are often lacking in the sedimentary domain however the igneous quartz from the cretaceous volcanic rocks that host the gas reservoir in the songliao basin northeastern china contains abundant secondary fluid inclusions with high concentrations of k and high partial pressures of methane trapped during gas emplacement quartz with abundant k rich fluid inclusions provides an excellent closed system well suited for 40 ar 39 ar dating three igneous quartz samples were measured by stepwise crushing to release the inclusion based argon gas all three samples yielded well defined isochrons with ages in close agreement precisely constraining the gas emplacement at 42 4 0 5 ma 2 below the daqing oil field in the songliao basin extending possible gas reservoirs from the upper cretaceous to the middle eocene

tectono stratigraphic and kinematic evolution of the southern apennines calabria peloritani terrane system italy abstract temporal controls such as sedimentation ages in foredeep and wedge top basins combined with information about stratigraphic and metamorphic evolution ages and characterization of magmatic rocks deep structures burial and exhumation histories allowed us to obtain kinematic estimations of the southern apennines calabria peloritani terrane system evolution from the late oligocene to recent calculated thrust front velocities suggest to subdivide the orogenic evolution in main five kinematic stages characterized by different velocity trends nine kinematic complexes from a to i i e sets of tectonic units deformed in the same time range are determined according to foredeep ages these complexes bounded by main regional thrust faults encompass one or more tectonic sub units and successions of different paleoenvironment domains paleogeographic evolution model indicates according to available paleomagnetic data a counterclockwise rotation with a mean angle of 60 for the apennine platform carbonates whereas a mean angle of 20 for the eastern sector of the apennine platform and western side of apulian platform shortening estimations for the apennine successions show values ranging between 55 and 88 and a linear best fit indicating an increase from 60 nw sector to ca 90 se sector such high values are consistent with a deformation dominated by a thin skinned tectonics on the contrary the low value of 28 calculated for mt alpi suggests an exhumation ruled by high angle deep seated structures characterized by limited displacements tectonic vergences referred to middle late miocene late miocene and pliocene middle pleistocene when restored indicate an average eastward tectonic transport finally tectonic evolution is summarized in eleven schematic cross sections and corresponding paleogeographic maps

modeling the flexural evolution of the amiran and mesopotamian foreland basins of nw zagros iran iraq the evolution of the amiran and mesopotamian flexural basins of the zagros belt is approached by coupled 2 d forward modeling of orogenic wedge formation lithospheric flexural isostasy and stream power erosion transport sedimentation thrust geometries and sequence of emplacement derived from geometric and kinematic models presented here are the inputs to our evolutionary model constrained by basin geometry sediment volume and topography modeling results confirm that the zagros flexural basins evolution is consistent with two stages of deformation 1 the obduction stage involving the kermanshah accretionary complex and a basement unit and 2 the collision stage emplacing the gaveh rud and sanandaj sirjan domains in the hinterland and forming a basement duplex in the outer part results provide quantitative insights into processes involved in mountain and basin building the lithospheric equivalent elastic thickness te changed from 20 km during the amiran stage 90 50 ma to 55 km during the mesopotamian subsidence stage last 20 myr the amiran basin results from flexure of the arabian plate below the load of the kermanshah cover and basement thrust sheets during this stage material eroded in the inner parts was enough to fill the flexural trough the mesopotamian basin formed in front of the outermost basement units flexing the arabian plate during this latter stage material eroded from the orogenic wedge was not enough to fill the mesopotamian basin an additional longitudinal sediment supply of up to 200 m myr is required to fill the flexural basin

intersection of exogenous endogenous and anthropogenic factors in the holocene landscape a study of the naples coastline during the last 6000 years abstract new data on the ancient landscape of naples southern italy during the middle and late holocene from geo archaeological excavations associated with public transport works were used to reconstruct the hill and coastal environment to the west of the ancient graeco roman polis where remains of human settlements date to the late neolithic the rich stratigraphic and archaeological records that emerged from the digs and from previous boreholes were measured and analysed by combining sedimentary facies analysis tephrostratigraphy and archaeological data between the 5th and 4th millennia bp a rocky profile with a wave cut platform cutting across pyroclastites emplaced from the surrounding volcanoes was predominant in the coastal landscape during the 3rd millennium bp this rocky coast was progressively replaced by a sandy littoral environment primarily due to marine deposition with a coastline located some hundred meters inland with respect to the modern one the sedimentary record of the greek and roman periods indicates short term fluctuations of the coastline leading to the establishment of a backshore environment towards the end of the 6th century ad when prograding river mouths and lobes of debris flows contributed to the advancing trend of the shoreline the frequent archaeological remains from these periods indicate a stable settled area since roman times the shoreline was still subject to short lived fluctuations between the 12th and 16th centuries and attained its present position during the modern era with man made reshaping of its profile the construction of relative sea level curves for two coastal sites reveals that the persistence of the foreshore environment in the naples coastal strip during the 5th and 4th millennia bp was controlled by the counterbalancing effect of either the concurrent eustatic sea level rise or subsidence on the other hand the morpho stratigraphic record for the last two millennia shows a significant correlation between sedimentation rate and settlement history accounting for the dominant role of the anthropogenic forcing factor in late holocene landscape history in particular land mismanagement during late antiquity seems to have triggered a slope disequilibrium phase exacerbating soil erosion and increasing the sediment accumulation rate in both foothill and coastal areas nonetheless the environmental changes of the chiaia coast during the last 2000 years clearly show volcanic tectonic perturbations influencing coastline development up to the modern era

palaeostress and neotectonic analysis of sheared conglomerates southwest alps and southern apennines abstract geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the deformation of poorly cemented conglomerates are described using striated pebbles for analysis of palaeostresses it is crucial to distinguish radial striation patterns which result from deformation of the matrix around a rigid pebble from unidirectional striation patterns that represent shear zones crossing the conglomeratic material examples of palaeostress determinations from striations of the latter type are given for extensional settings provence and compressional settings southern apennines southwest alps their comparison with fault analyses in brittle rocks that underlie the conglomerates validates their usefulness for palaeostress analyses and suggests that some conglomerates behave as materials containing pre existing surfaces of mechanical anisotropy that fail by sliding on some suitable oriented surfaces these examples show that sheared conglomerates can be used for stratigraphic dating of the deformation for studies of syndepositional deformation and for neotectonic analysis

topographic predictors of susceptibility to alluvial fan flooding southern apennines the flooding susceptibility of alluvial fans in the southern apennines has long been neglected to partly address this oversight we focus on the region of campania which contains highly urbanized piedmont areas particularly vulnerable to flooding our findings are based on stratigraphic analysis of the fans and morphometric analysis of the basin fan systems using geomorphological analysis we recognized active alluvial fans while stratigraphic analysis together with statistical analysis of the morphometric variables was used to classify the fans in terms of the transport process involved the results indicate that in the geological context examined the best discrimination between debris flow df and water flood wf processes is achieved by means of two related variables one for the basin feeder channel inclination cg and one for the fan fan length fl the probability that an unclassified fan belongs to group wf is computed by applying a logistic function in which a p value exceeding 0 5 indicates that a basin fan system belongs to group wf this important result led to the classification of the entire basin fan system data as regards process intensity debris flow dominated fans are susceptible to the occurrence of flows with high viscosity and hence subject to more severe events than water flood dominated fans bearing this in mind the data gathered in this study allow us to detect where alluvial fan flooding might occur and give information on the different degrees of susceptibility at a regional scale regrettably urban development in recent decades has failed to take the presence of such alluvial fans into account due to the long recurrence time 50 100 years between floods this paper outlines the distribution of such susceptibility scenarios throughout the region thereby constituting an initial step to implementing alluvial fan flooding control and mitigation copyright 2012 john wiley sons ltd

late quaternary faulting within the southern apennines seismic belt new data from mt marzano area southern italy abstract an integrated geomorphological and geophysical investigation was performed in order to reconstruct the pliocene quaternary geomorphologic evolution and recent tectonics of mt marzano massif southern apennines italy the study area belongs to a region of high seismic energy release the last event being the strong ms 6 9 1980 irpinia earthquake most of the main faults of the area ceased their activity before development of the late pliocene age palaeosurfaces widely spread over the massif beginning in the lower part of the middle pleistocene strong extensional tectonics took place in the southern portion of the massif wnw trending faults created the buccino and s gregorio magno depressions which underwent subsidence until the holocene according to abundant morphostructural evidence during the late quaternary the n150 trending mt valva mt carpineta fault and the n110 100 trending mt ogna fault previously sealed by pliocene palaeosurfaces also were re activated morphostructural data were integrated with a high resolution seismic survey across the piano di pecore basin which is dammed by a fault that slipped 70 cm during the 1980 earthquake this fault produced no more than 50 60 m of throw during quaternary times most probably starting from 100 to 150 kyr bp

compressional and extensional tectonics in an arc system example of the southern apennines abstract adopting the southern apennines as a case example we determine the relationships between extensional and compressional structures within an arc system based on tectonic analysis in the field we show that in addition to the well known occurrence of inner extensional structures during frontal accretion two other types of extensional structures are present in the southern apennines we classify the three types of extensional structures depending on their chronologies with the accretion of the thrust unit and we characterize them in terms of palaeostresses some normal faults of the mountain chain are old extensional structures formed in a foreland basin in the matese mountains such faults with offsets ranging several hundred metres are sealed by a late neogene thrust sheet these foredeep structures were created by extension trending almost perpendicular to the axis of the present day foreland basin other normal faults located closer to the tyrrhenian sea developed simultaneously with the pliocene quaternary accretion of thrust sheets at the front of the belt in the salerne graben a tyrrhenian basin structure extension occurred perpendicular to the compression that prevailed at the front of the mountain belt a stress gradient existed between the outer part of the arc with 1 trending ene wsw and the inner part with 2 trending ene wsw in the southern apennines middle pleistocene holocene normal faults post date all compression and thrusting the corresponding recent stress field ne sw extension results from uplift of the previously subsiding adriatic lithosphere we conclude that a given thrust unit of this nw se trending mountain chain may have successively undergone ne sw extension in the foreland basin ne sw compression during the accretion nw se extension in the back arc region and ne sw extension during the recent evolution of the prism the succession of these tectonic regimes has induced complex structures as commonly observed in an arc system

vertical movements on the eastern margin of the tyrrhenian extensional basin new data from mt bulgheria southern apennines italy abstract in this paper we present the results of an integrated stratigraphical geomorphological and morphotectonic study carried out in mt bulgheria a rocky headland located on the eastern margin of the tyrrhenian extensional basin in southern italy such a margin is characterised by the occurrence of uplifted headlands alternated with subsiding half grabens in particular mt bulgheria constitutes the northeastern margin of the gulf of policastro peri tyrrhenian depression in the study area pliocene quaternary continental deposits and erosional landforms are present together with pleistocene wave cut and wave built marine terraces the integrated study of pliocene pleistocene deposits and landforms allowed a detailed reconstruction of the geomorphological evolution of mt bulgheria to be made furthermore the tectonic behaviour of this portion of the tyrrhenian margin during plio quaternary times could be characterised in particular we recognised that a succession of alternated uplift and subsidence episodes affected the headland since the beginning of early pleistocene when the eastward migrating coastline of the tyrrhenian extensional basin reached mt bulgheria the alternated uplift and subsidence events lasted for early and middle pleistocene their cessation in late pleistocene is demonstrated by the occurrence of late pleistocene strandlines at an elevation comparable with that of the 130 ka sea level highstand as recorded in stable areas of the mediterranean region the occurrence of marine terraces allowed the absolute vertical movements to be estimated their summation produced an uplift of the headland of 400 m since the beginning of the santernian 150 m of which occurred in the middle pleistocene along the onshore belt of the tyrrhenian margin of southern apennines other structural highs bordering the peri tyrrhenian depressions provide evidence for subsidence episodes interrupting the prevailing uplift trend recorded during the quaternary this together with the distribution of quaternary marine deposits both downthrown and raised and terraces shows that the tyrrhenian margin of southern apennines was affected by strongly variable vertical movements

geomorphic response to late quaternary tectonics in the axial portion of the southern apennines italy a case study from the calore river valley

building the zagros collisional orogen timing strain distribution and the dynamics of arabia eurasia plate convergence he zagros mountains are the result of the arabia eurasia collision initiated at 35 ma as the rifted arabian lithosphere was underthrusted beneath the iranian plate due to its negative buoyancy the onset of crustal thickening started at 25 ma as recorded by the hinterland exhumation and foreland clastic deposition deformation throughout the arabia eurasia collision zone and the uplift of the iranian plateau occurred after 15 12 ma as a result of shortening thickening of the thin iranian crust we emphasize that only 42 of the post 35 ma convergence is partitioned by shortening within central iran tomographic constraints show ongoing slab steepening or breakoff in the nw zagros whereas underthrusting of the arabian plate is observed beneath central zagros the current subduction dynamics can be explained by the original lateral difference in the buoyancy of the distal margin that promoted slab sinking in nw zagros and underthrusting in central zagros critical wedge approach applied to the zagros favors the hypothesis of strong brittle crust detached above a viscous lower crust in contrast the weak sedimentary cover deforms by buckling of a thick multilayered cover thrust faulting associated with folding occurs in the competent layers and is responsible for most of the earthquakes there is evidence that the role of the slab pull force in driving the arabian plate motion was reduced after 12 ma large scale mantle flow induced by mantle upwelling at the afar plume appears to be the main driver of the arabia plate motion we stress that the main kinematic change in the zagros region occurred at 15 12 ma as the zagros uplifted before the arabian slab detached the zagros appears key to investigate coupling between continental rheology plate driving forces and mountain building in which the role of rift inheritance appears to be central

the restless resurgent campi flegrei nested caldera italy constraints on its evolution and configuration abstract we have collected new stratigraphic data in the campi flegrei caldera through surface geological mapping and study of cores drilled to various depths we integrate these data with geological geochronological and geophysical constraints available in the literature to reconstruct the volcanic and deformational history of the caldera the caldera is a resurgent nested structure resulting from two main collapses related to the campanian ignimbrite 37 ka and the neapolitan yellow tuff 12 ka eruptions while the structure is affected by a broad subsidence ongoing local resurgence and unrest occur inside the younger nested caldera structure although most of the caldera floor consists of multiple structural blocks due to long term deformations magmas were able to erupt only in one sector of the resurgent part the caldera has shown signs of unrest during the past 25 years with short term deformations that have generated a net uplift of 3 5 m the short term deformations are related to the neapolitan yellow tuff caldera resurgence and interpreted as the net result of brittle and ductile components the long term deformations likely represent the sum of the permanent brittle component of each short term deformational event

the chemical signature of source rocks in size fractions of holocene stream sediment derived from metamorphic rocks in the wet mountains region colorado u s a eight stream sediments draining primarily mixed silica rich and silica poor metamorphic rocks in the wet mountains colorado were analyzed at their source for their mineralogic and selected elemental composition the low silica source rocks include amphibolite hornblende schist and muscovite biotite schist the high silica source rocks include granodioritic to leucocratic granitic gneisses the high silica source rocks tend to contain higher concentrations of ree th hf and ba lower concentrations of fe sc and cr higher la sc and thsc ratios and more negative eu anomalies than the low silica source rocks especially those low silica source rocks derived from basic sources rather than weathered silicic sources the stream sediments draining this mixed metamorphic rock terrain are dominated by sands and gravels and they are composed of feldspar quartz and 25 heavy minerals the silts contain more total biotite hornblende pyroxene and opaque minerals and less quartz and feldspar than the sands and gravels sediment especially the silts derived from mixed low and high silica sources tends to be intermediate in elemental composition between those of the end member sources so there is some hope that source rock signatures may be preserved in the sediment elemental ratios of la sc th sc la co th co and ba co and th la sc plots most clearly distinguish sediment derived from the most silicic and most basic source rocks in addition finer sediment near the source can potentially distinguish silicic sources higher ree and more negative eu anomalies from those of basic sources the clay and silt fractions contain negative eu anomalies normalized to the mcps north american mid continent platform sediment and the sands and gravels have positive eu anomalies normalized to the mcps most size fractions are similar to more enriched in la sc th sc la co and th co ratios than the mcps this suggests local sources in the wet mountains are on the average more silica rich than those that formed the mcps

piggyback basin development and thrust belt evolution structural and palaeostress analyses of plio quaternary basins in the southern apennines abstract in southern italy structural analysis of the intramontane pliocene quaternary terrigenous basins of sant arcangelo and ofanto shows that they are piggyback basins the recent uplift of the southern apennines provides good conditions for carrying out detailed studies of palaeostresses in relation to structure and sediment accumulation in such piggyback basins we demonstrate that in the pleistocene sant arcangelo marine basin a single n70 compression induced a complex pattern of folds and strike slip faults in contrast the older pliocene ofanto basin reveals a polyphase history characterized by successive tilts and palaeostresses according to different compressions in both basins compressional stresses are syn depositional the geometry of the sedimentary infill of these basins provides information on the thrusting activity in terms of location geometry and age we point out that in addition to sedimentary and structural studies including interpretation of seismic reflection data palaeostress analyses provide a valuable tool for deciphering development and evolution of compressional basins in a fold and thrust belt

geometry of the neotectonic stress field in southern italy geological and seismological evidence the neotectonic regime in southern italy has been evaluated by making a comparison between all the available structural and seismological data the area investigated can be subdivided into four distinct zones which are characterized by different stress regimes in the southern apennines the tensile axis of the stress field is oriented approximately ne sw while the maximum principal stress 1 is subvertical in northern calabria the tensile axis is ese wnw and the 1 axis is almost vertical in the catanzaro trough both the tensile axis and the 1 axis are subhorizontal and act e w and n s respectively finally the strait of messina zone is characterized by a tensile axis oriented e w and by 1 being subvertical

convergence history across zagros iran constraints from collisional and earlier deformation the zagros orogen provides a unique opportunity within the alpine system to evaluate the interplay between a young tertiary collision and earlier subduction obduction processes within the crush zone and the sanandaj sirjan internal zone separating the zagros fold belt from central iran we document several major tectonic events taking place at the end of the cretaceous of the eocene and from the mio pliocene onwards ca 20 15 ma contrary to recent interpretations our data cross sections and description of the overall deformation style strongly suggest that the main zagros thrust mzt is deeply rooted possibly to moho depths and that the suture zone effectively runs along the mzt field observations show that the final resorption of the oceanic domain took place slightly after 35 ma and that collision must have started before ca 23 25 ma in northern zagros the shortening rate across the crush zone since the mid miocene 20 15 ma is estimated at a minimum 3 4 mm year shear movements in the crush zone during the eocene oligocene period and extensional strike slip movements in the internal zones during the late cretaceous point to an oblique setting early in the convergence history a geotectonic scenario for convergence from the time of obduction to the present is finally proposed

the plio quaternary uplift of the apennine chain new data from the analysis of topography and river valleys in central italy abstract this study aims at the reconstruction of magnitude and timing of surface uplift affecting a wide sector of the central apennines italy by means of morphometric and morphostructural analyses in the chain interiors where stratigraphic and geomorphological markers of past sea level positions are lacking the study is based on analysis of erosional landforms and river valleys a large scale topographic analysis by processing 90 m and 230 m dems is performed the spatial distribution of several morphometric parameters together with characteristic wavelengths of relief allowed the differentiation of three main regions affected by different cumulative surface uplift and tectonic erosional fragmentation a peri tyrrhenian belt an axial belt and a peri adriatic belt particular attention is devoted to fluvial landforms with analysis of longitudinal profiles and geometric pattern of the main drainage lines and their relations with the major structures major differences occur between the tyrrhenian and adriatic valley systems the tyrrhenian drainage mainly consists of longitudinal valleys displaying overall concave up longitudinal profiles the adriatic drainage is mainly constituted by transverse streams and shows less regular longitudinal profiles topographic features and the river valley architecture seem related to different styles and amounts of uplift in the three belts within the study area a coast to coast transect gaeta vasto transect gvt has been investigated in detail focusing the analysis on its axial sector around the apennines main divide main divide area mda a possible scheme of quaternary surface uplift along the gvt is proposed in the mda the main stages of landscape evolution and drainage organization can be reconstructed by means of the analysis of paleosurfaces coupled with study of the relict and present day drainage networks this allowed the recognition of a major phase of surface uplift exceeding 1500 m in the meta mainarde massif that occurred in response to thrusting during the pliocene for quaternary surface uplift a minimum value of 400 m can be estimated this study suggests that during the quaternary the peri tyrrhenian belt suffered a subdued uplift acting over small wavelengths 10 15 km while the axial and peri adriatic belts were subject to a larger and long wavelength 90 km surface uplift with maximum values about 700 m shifted to the ne of the axial belt and tapering to zero towards the adriatic coast the reconstructed pattern of uplift is coherent with the topographic properties of the three belts and with the observed drainage features

ams fabric and tectonic evolution of quaternary intramontane extensional basins in the picentini mountains southern apennines italy in this work we report the results of combined geological structural and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility ams studies carried out on quaternary deposits in the picentini mountains southern apennines italy the study concerns four small continental basins acerno tizzano iumaiano and piano del gaudo related to fluvial lacustrine depositional environments ranging in altitude from 600 to 1 200 m a s l and strongly incised during recent time stratigraphic and structural analyses integrated by low and high field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility ams show that the formation of these basins has been controlled by extensional and transtensional tectonics most of the ams sites exhibit a well defined magnetic foliation parallel to the bedding planes a well defined magnetic lineation has also been measured within the foliation planes in the iumaiano tizzano and piano del gaudo basins magnetic lineations cluster around nne ssw trend and are parallel to the stretching directions inferred by structural analysis of faults and fractures on the basis of structural sedimentological and high field ams data we suggest a tectonic origin for the magnetic lineation analogously to what has been observed in other weakly deformed sediments from neogene and quaternary extensional basins of the mediterranean region our results demonstrate that onset and the evolution of the investigated basins have been mainly controlled since lower pleistocene by nw se normal and transtensional faults this deformation pattern is consistent with a prevalent ne sw extensional tectonic regime still active in southern apennines as revealed by seismological and geodetic data

arabia eurasia collision and the forcing of mid cenozoic global cooling the end of the eocene greenhouse world was the most dramatic phase in the long term cooling trend of the cenozoic era here we show that the arabia eurasia collision and the closure of the tethys ocean gateway began in the late eocene at 35 ma up to 25 million years earlier than in many reconstructions we suggest that global cooling was forced by processes associated with the initial collision that reduced atmospheric co2 these are 1 waning volcanism across southwest asia 2 increased organic carbon storage in paratethyan basins e g black sea and south caspian 3 increased silicate weathering in the collision zone and 4 a shift towards modern patterns of ocean currents associated with increased vigour in circulation and organic productivity

soil gas distribution in the main coseismic surface rupture zone of the 1980 ms 6 9 irpinia earthquake southern italy soil gas measurements of different gas species with different geochemical behaviors were performed in the area of the pecore plain a 200 m 300 m sized fault bounded extensional basin located in the northern mount marzano massif in the axial belt of the southern apennine chain the pecore plain area was affected by coseismic surface faulting during the ms 6 9 1980 irpinia earthquake the strongest and most destructive seismic event of the last 30 years in southern italy the collected data and their geostatistical analysis provide new insights into the control exerted by active fault segments on deep seated gas migration toward the surface the results define anomalies that are aligned with the nw se trending coseismic rupture of the 1980 earthquake along the western border of the plain as well as along the southern border of the plain where a hidden e w striking fault is inferred geospatial analysis highlights an anisotropic spatial behavior of 222rn along the main nw se trend and of co2 along the e w trend this feature suggests a correlation between the shape and orientation of the anomalies and the barrier conduit behavior of fault zones in the area furthermore our results show that gas migration through brittle deformation zones occurs by advective processes as suggested by the relatively high migration rate needed to obtain anomalies of short lived 222rn in the soil pores

geolithological and anthropogenic controls on the hydrochemistry of the volturno river southern italy the present work aims to study the main chemical and physical water parameters in the upper and middle volturno river catchment southern italy between the capo volturno springs and the confluence with the calore river this study makes use of morphology geolithology tectonic land use and physico chemical ph ec eh temperature major ions and 222rn data for the identification of the main sources of surface and ground waters in the volturno catchment and of their evolution and mixing both in base flow and peak flow conditions the study was also performed to assess whether the alteration due to potential anthropogenic contamination may hamper the identification of natural primitive sources of surface waters especially in the populated and farmed plains far from the river headwaters our data suggests that water chemistry of this stretch of the volturno river is dominated mainly by lithology and only marginally by the intense exogenous activities and that this trend is appreciable in both base flow and peak flow conditions the proposed simple geochemical approach based on easy to sample matrices and on cost effective standard methods is a valuable tool to address catchment functionality especially in upland areas where complex geologic and structural settings heterogeneous groundwater flow and logistical issues are the rule rather than the exception since the upper and middle volturno catchment is comparable to numerous valleys of the mediterranean area this study could be a reference for analogous applications this article is protected by copyright all rights reserved

erosional landsurfaces of the campano lucano apennines s italy genesis evolution and tectonic implications abstract within the campano lucano apennines small but widespread relics of gentle erosional landsurfaces gels occur that are elevated several hundred metres above the present valley floors on the basis of our observations the old idea that all these relict landforms can be traced back to a single phase of quasi planation that affected the entire belt after thrust stacking and before a phase of final uplift must be rejected new field evidence and chronological constraints support the conclusion that the gel relics belong to various uncompleted cycles of erosion that occurred just during the construction of the chain i e late miocene to early pleistocene as many recent geological studies have pointed out the southern apennines chain is an arc shaped accretionary wedge that migrated as a thrusting system towards its retreating foreland by means of addition of thrust units to the front and loss of rifted portions at the rear tyrrhenian back arc basin also the spatial distribution of the various generations of gels their ages and their relations to the main structures and syn orogenic formations of the belt seem to agree with this geodynamic scenario here we propose a first approximation conceptual model that considers each generation of campano lucano apennines gels as largely formed when the thrust units on which they rest were located at low elevation near the coastline of the foredeep basin i e shortly after the entrance of those thrust units into the tectonic wedge then each gel as a matter of fact the compartment on which it rested was taken towards more and more internal parts of the wedge as frontal accretion continued owing to this relative migration the fate of each gel carrying compartment was to reach the part of the belt that was affected by extensional block faulting i e the tyrrhenian side of the chain each gel eventually reaching this domain was tectonically fragmented deeply cut by waves of fluvial dissection proceeding from the steep tectonic coast toward the ne and finally also rifted under the tyrrhenian sea other causes of gels fragmentation and dissection were probably the breaching of the chain s outer flank by out of sequence thrust and the up arching of the roof thrust system caused by the formation of deep anticlinal stacks on the contrary when forward propagation of thrusts continued for long periods the gels being carried toward the inner zone of the wedge could not have experienced deep dissection because the increase of their elevation a s l was compensated by their increasing distance from the foredeep coastline maintenance of low gradient along the river valleys thanks to a very low critical taper

constraining mountain front tectonic activity in extensional setting from geomorphology and quaternary stratigraphy a case study from the matese ridge southern apennines abstract rugged peaks large intermontane basins and frequent seismicity all characterize the active extensional tectonic setting of the southern apennines the matese ridge typifies the active tectonic setting of the southern apennines with steep carbonate mountain fronts and large depositional centres moderate to high magnitude earthquakes have affected the northern western and eastern sectors of the matese ridge in historical times however the seismogenic potential of the extensional fault system bounding the southern matese mountain front has not been fully assessed to date to unravel the active tectonic setting of the southern matese mountain front we have carried out a comprehensive geomorphological and tectonic geomorphology investigation of the mountain front and its piedmont and have constrained results through chronological i e tephrostratigraphical and 40ar 39ar and structural data our study highlights that in the last 600 ka activity along e w trending normal faults has identified a locus of higher slip rate tectonic activity in the central part of the analysed mountain front these active e w striking normal faults are inherited reactivated structures which have interacted with newly formed nw se striking normal faults during ne sw extension active on the regional scale causing fault bending and local extension to be oriented n s consequently lower slip rates have been recorded along the nw se striking normal faults at the north western and south eastern tips of the southern matese front the long term displacement rate of the fault system at the boundary of the central part of the southern matese front is consistent with mean values of displacement of faults that in the southern apennines show evidence of activity during the late quaternary despite strong historical seismicity clustering primarily around the study area our data highlight that it cannot be ruled out that moderate to high magnitude seismicity could affect the southern matese mountain front our case study represents an example of the possible modes of formation and evolution of mountain front basin systems in extensional setting and shows how the combination of different data sets allows unravelling the interaction between tectonic erosional and sedimentary processes which lead to landscape evolution of active mountain belts

tufa and travertines of southern italy deep seated fault related co 2 as the key control in precipitation continental carbonates of quaternary age in southern italy commonly exhibit the facies of calcareous tufa often reported as related to shallow aquifers fed by meteoric waters and to organic processes a close spatial relationship exists between the mappable tufa deposits and major quaternary extensional faults with respect to the ca mg hco3 composition of limestone aquifers springs tufa depositing springs exhibit higher salinity and alkalinity are slightly warmer have lower ph and are enriched in so4 and co2 their d 13 c values are systematically positive and compatible with a deep seated carbon source a clear input of soil derived organic carbon is indicated only for small non mappable tufas deposited by perched springs the dataset indicates that the large tufa deposits owe their origin to a supplementary source of co2 advected by degassing through active faults as a necessary prerequisite for inducing a rise of total dissolved salts and alkalinity meteoric waters that have come from a shallow aquifer are able to precipitate only limited amount of carbonates

cover collapse sinkhole over a deep buried carbonate bedrock the case study of fossa san vito sarno southern italy abstract sinkholes are widely found in italy in both carbonate slopes and alluvial plain settings since they may occur catastrophically without showing premonitory signs and resulting in severe economic losses and casualties they constitute a significant risk in many areas and even pose a threat to human life in this paper we carried out a detailed multidisciplinary study of the fossa san vito sinkhole southern italy that is a particular type of cover collapse sinkhole the latter is a sub circular closed depression with a diameter of 200 m and with inner walls up to 25 m high located in the piedmont area placed along the inner border of the sarno river alluvial plain the study entailed morphological and stratigraphic analysis by means of field surveys including nine trenches four boreholes and the reinterpretation of stratigraphical data from the literature in addition hydrogeological and soil gas analysis were carried out to investigate the possible role of deep water uprising the study attempted to identify the genetic mechanism and include the reconstruction of a detailed subsurface stratigraphic model showing that the infilling of the depression is about 45 m thick and consists of well laminated silty clay lacustrine sediments interbedded with tephra layers 14c dating of fossil wood found at the base of the lacustrine deposits constrains the age of the collapse at 5483 cal years b p the collapse of the topographic surface involved a volume of about 400 000 cubic metres and originated at depth 80 m

palaeolandscapes of southern apennines during the late early and the middle pleistocene abstract a palaeolandscape reconstruction of the southern apennine chain for the late early and the middle pleistocene is presented with the main aim of highlighting the evolution of this sector of the chain during a key period for the diffusion of palaeolithic humans in the italian peninsula during the calabrian stage 1 8 0 78 ma italy was an elongated peninsula narrower than present extended between the tyrrhenian and the foreland seas with two big islands nowadays gargano and murge in the central part of the foredeep basin this area started to emerge at the end of early pleistocene 1 2 0 78 ma when occasional communications among the islands and the southern apennine peninsula may have occurred probably in conjunction with eustatic low stands this scenario opens interesting questions on the migration pathways followed by ancient palaeolithic humans to reach the site of pirro nord 1 6 1 3 ma nw gargano the definitive emersion of the studied area was completed at the beginning of the ionian stage when several lakes punctuated the axial portion of the chain together with two great active volcanoes roccamonfina and vulture in the surroundings of the palaeo lakes palaeolithic humans started moving from 600 to 200 ka as indicated by the artefacts of acheulean tradition recovered among others at isernia la pineta and notarchirico

the northward tectonic transport in the southern apennines examples from the capri island and western sorrento peninsula italy we analyzed a thrust fault system located in the western sorrento peninsula and capri island southern italy where several mesoscale structures related to the main thrusts such as riedel shear planes overturned folds minor thrust and back thrust faults suggest a dominant northward tectonic transport major and minor thrust faults generally characterized by a ramp flat geometry involved the mesozoic apennine carbonates the middle miocene foredeep and the unconformable thrust top basin deposits the biostratigraphic analysis of calcareous nannoplankton assemblages on the thrust top basin sediments indicates an age not older than late tortonian we propose that this out of sequence thrusting stage was related to a regional tectonic event widespread in the entire southern apennines probably occurred in the pliocene time simultaneously with the activity of deep seated thrust faults that involved the buried carbonates of the apulian platform these out of sequence thrust faults here referred to as envelopment thrusts were enucleated in a lower structural level with respect to the allochthonous wedge representing the w e segments of large regional arcuate structures

provenance evolution of oligocene pliocene foreland deposits in the dezful embayment to constrain central zagros exhumation history this paper presents a detailed provenance analysis of the 6 5 km thick oligocene pliocene foreland succession in the north dezful embayment in zagros iran using petrography geochemistry and palaeoflow analysis we determined three provenance shifts during the exhumation of the zagros orogen above the ahwaz sandstones sourced from the arabian craton a sharp decrease in sio2 al2o3 zr sc th sc th co and th cr within the gachsaran fm and the appearance of first cycle sands derived from metamorphic and volcanic rocks at the base of the aghajari fm characterize the onset of exhumation rising topography and denudation of the zagros orogenic system during the latest oligocene and constitute the first shift the second shift in the middle aghajari fm is marked by a distinct increase in radiolarian cherts and compatible incompatible elements indicating the exhumation of neotethyan radiolarite ophiolite allochthonous slices in the high zagros zone during the tortonian c 9 ma large quantities of carbonate clasts derived from the nearby growing izeh zone anticlines characterize the messinian c 7 ma bakhtyari conglomerates marking the third shift in conclusion a detailed hands on provenance analysis of the clastic sedimentary sequences in the north dezful embayment enabled us to determine catchment areas and shifts hitherto unstudied thus contributing to the exhumation history of the central zagros orogenic system supplementary material details of the petrography and geochemistry results are available at https doi org 10 6084 m9 figshare c 4905558