6533b7dcfe1ef96bd127277e

RESEARCH PRODUCT

STRATIGRAPHIC AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A HIGH RESOLUTION SEISMIC SURVEY PERFORMED IN THE BAY OF AUGUSTA (SE SICILY)

subject

description

The Bay of Augusta is located along the NE margin of the Hyblean Plateau (SE Sicily). In this area a mostly bioclastic and terrigenous Quaternary succession outcrops. This area recorded a constant regional uplift rate of 50 kA. Two main groups of faults, referred to as the northwest and the southwest fault zones, are separated by a central zone where no evident fault planes have been imaged by seismic data. The faults in both groups strike from N30W to N52W and are also inferred to be steeply dipping. The faults pertaining to northwestern cluster show a very little offset, 50 kA. As concern the southeastern fault zone, results coming from radiocarbon age dating don’t have sufficient resolution to correlate deposits to seismic horizons involved in tectonic deformation. Nevertheless, there the seismic unit A also appears slightly involved by the latest faults activity. The analysis of the Bay of Augusta seismic grid has shown that very recent tectonic features have displaced the Late Quaternary sedimentary infill; interpretation of our results could better constrain the neotectonic setting of an area characterized by high seismic hazard.