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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Active tectonics along the south east offshore margin of Mt. Etna: New insights from high-resolution seismic profiles
Giovanni BarrecaFabrizio PepeCarmelo MonacoM. Corradinosubject
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciencesPleistoceneSettore GEO/02 - Geologia Stratigrafica E SedimentologicaSettore GEO/03 - Geologia Strutturaleactive tectonics010502 geochemistry & geophysics01 natural sciencesSicilian thrust-beltPaleontologyActive tectonicActive tectonics; Ionian Sea; Mt. Etna; Seismic investigation; Sicilian thrust-belt; Earth and Planetary Sciences (all)Seismic investigationHolocene0105 earth and related environmental sciencesgeographygeography.geographical_feature_categoryContinental shelfMt. Etnalcsh:QE1-996.5Fold (geology)Ionian SeaMt. Etna; seismic investigation; active tectonics; Sicilian thrust-belt; Ionian SeaSeafloor spreadingVolcanic rocklcsh:GeologyTectonicsGeneral Earth and Planetary SciencesSedimentary rockEarth and Planetary Sciences (all)Geologydescription
The offshore margin of Mt. Etna has been shaped by Middle Pleistocene to Holocene shortening and extension and, more recently, by gravity-related sliding of the volcanic edifice. These processes have acted contemporaneously although the gravitational component largely prevails over the tectonic one. In order to investigate this issue, we focused on the main role of active tectonics along the south-eastern offshore of Mt. Etna by means of marine high-resolution seismic data. Seismic profiles revealed post-220 ka sedimentary deposits unconformably overlaying the Lower-Middle Pleistocene Etnean clayey substratum and volcanics of the Basal Tholeiitic phase and the Timpe phase. Offshore Aci Trezza-Catania, the architecture of the sedimentary deposits reflects syn-tectonic deposition occurred into âpiggy-backâ basin setting. Shortening rate was estimated at ~0.5 mm/a since ~220 ka. Asymmetric folding also involves post Last Glacial Maximum deposits, evidencing that compressional deformation is still active. In the continental slope, a belt of normal faults offset the Lower-Middle Pleistocene Etnean clayey substratum and younger deposits, also producing seafloor ruptures. Thrust and fold structures can be related to the recent migration of the Sicilian chain front, while extensional faults are interpreted as part of a major tectonic boundary located in the Ionian offshore of Sicily.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-02-08 |