Abstract
Active tectonic processes in south-central Italy have been analyzed by means of spatial and kinematic analysis of fault zones In (i) the axial zones of the Apenninic mountain chain, where most of the seismic strain is released within intramontane basin areas (i.e., Norcia, Fucino, Vallo di Diano, high Agri Valley, etc.); and (ii) in the Gargano promontory, where earthquakes with magnitudes up to 6 and 7 have occurred. Our work focuses on a better understanding of the most recent deformation processes acting in these areas, and the relative motion between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian crustal units. In order to derive the information above, we integrated structural and seismological data from the Apennines and the Gargano area. The results of our analysis show that the style of active deformation in both of these areas is broadly consistent with the current stress field. Kinematic data from slip indicators on active fault planes are, in fact, consistent with the geometric proprieties and spatial arrangement of the various fault segments and indicate that most of the active structures are characterized by oblique motion. The overall direction of extension appears to be at fairly high angle to the trend of the Apennines, with a component of horizontal left-lateral motion between Tyrrhenia and Adria.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
REFERENCES
Anderson H.A. Is the Adriatic an African promontory? Geology 1987; 15: 212–215.
Anderson H.A., Jackson J.A. Active tectonics of the Adriatic region. Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 1987; 91: 937–983.
Bally A.W., Burbi L., Cooper C., Ghelardoni R. Balanced sections and seismic reflection profiles across the Central Apennines. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1986; 35: 257–310.
Barchi M., Galadini F., Lavecchia G., Messina P., Michetti A.M., Peruzza L., Pizzi A., Tondi E., Vittori E. Sintesi delle conoscenze sulle faglie attive in Italia Centrale: parametrizzazione ai fini della caratterizzazione della pericolosità sismica. CNR-Gruppo Nazionale per la Difesa dai Terremoti – Roma, 2000.
Benedetti L., Tapponier P., King G. C. P., Piccardi L. Surface rupture of the 1857 Southern Italian earthquake. Terra Nova 1998; 10(4): 206–210.
Bertotti G., Capozzi R., Picotti V. Extension controls Quaternary tectonics, geomorphology and sedimentation of the N-Apennines foothills and adjacent Po Plain (Italy). Tectonophysics 1997; 282: 291–301.
Borre K., Cacon S., Cello G., Kontny B., Kostak B., Lykke-Andersen H., Moratti G., Piccardi L., Stemberk J., Tondi E., Vilimek V. The COST project in Italy: analysis and monitoring of seimogenic faults in the Gargano and Norcia areas (central-southern Apennines, Italy). J. Geodynamics 2003; 36: 3–18.
Boschi E., Guidoboni E., Ferrari G., Valensise G., Gasperini P. Catalogo dei forti terremoti in Italia del 461 a.C. al 1990, ING-SGA, Bologna, 1997.
Bosellini A., Neri C., Luciani V. Guida ai carbonati Cretaceo-Eocenici di scarpata e bacino del Gargano (Italia meridionale). Annali dell’Università di Ferrara (nuova serie), Sez. Scienze della Terra, suppl. to vol. 4, Bologna, 1993.
Bosi C. Osservazioni preliminari su faglie probabilmente attive nell’Appennino centrale. Bol. Soc. Geol. It. 1975; 94: 827–856.
Calamita F., Coltorti M., Farabollini P., Pizzi A. Le faglie normali quaternarie nella Dorsale appenninica umbro-marchigiana. Proposta di un modello di tettonica d’inversione. Studi Geol. Camerti. Vol. Spec. 1994; 211–225.
Carminati E., Giunchi C., Argnani A., Sabadini R., Fernandez M. Plio-Quaternary vertical motion of the Northern Apennines: Insights from dynamic modeling. Tectonics 1999; 18(4): 703–718.
Catalogue of Swiss Seismological Service, 2001. Catalogue of Moment Tensor Solutions in the European-Mediterranean region, years 2000–2001. http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/info/mt.html.
Cello G., Mazzoli S. Apennine tectonics in Southern Italy: a review. J. Geodynamics 1999; 27: 191–211.
Cello G., Martini N., Paltrinieri W., Tortorici L. Structural styles in the frontal zones of the southern Apennines, Italy: an example from the Molise district. Tectonics 1989; 8(4): 753–768.
Cello G., Mazzoli S., Tondi E., Turco E. Active tectonics in the central Apennines and possible implications for seismic hazard analysis in peninsular Italy. Tectonophysics 1997; 272: 43–68.
Cello G., Tondi E., Micarelli L., Mattioni L. Active tectonics and earthquake sources in the epicentral area of the 1857 Basilicata earthquake (Southern Italy). J. Geodynamics 2003; 36: 37–50.
Channell J. E. T., D’Argenio B., Horwath F. Adria, the African promontory, in Mesozoic Mediterranean paleogeography. Earth Sc. Rev. 1979; 15: 213–292.
Ciaranfi N., Ricchetti G. Considerazioni sulla neotettonica del Promontorio del Gargano (Foglio 157, M. S. Angelo; Foglio 156, S. Marco in Lamis). Prog. Final. Geod. Publ. 1980; 356.
Cinque A., Patacca E., Scandone P., Tozzi M. Quaternary kinematic evolution of the Southern Apennines. Relationships between surface geological features and deep lithospheric structures. Annali di Geofisica 1993; 36: 249–260.
Cipollari P., Cosentino D. Miocene unconformities in the Central Apennines: geodynamic significance and sedimentary basin evolution. Tectonophysics 1995; 252: 375–389.
Decandia F.A., Lazzarotto A., Liotta D., Cernobori L., Nicolich R. The CROP 03 traverse: insights on postcollisional evolution of the Northern Apennines. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1998; 52: 427–439.
Delvaux D. The TENSOR program for paleostress reconstruction: exaples fro the east African and Baikal rift zones. Terra Nova 1993; 5: 216, Abstracts supplement No. 1.
Deschamps A., King G.C.P. Aftershocks of the Campania-Lucania (Italy) earthquake of 23 november 1980. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 1984; 74: 2483–2517.
Dewey J.F., Helman M.L., Turco E., Hutton D.H.W., Knott S.D. “Kinematics of the western Mediterranean”. In Alpine Tectonics, M.P. Coward, D. Dietrich, R.G. Park, eds., London: Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ. 1989; 45: 265–283.
Di Bucci D., Mazzoli S. Active tectonics of the Northern Apennines and Adria geodynamics: new data and a discussion. J. Geodynamics 2002; 34: 687–707.
Doglioni C., Mongelli F., Pieri P. The Puglia uplift (SE Italy): an anomaly in the foreland of the Apenninic subduction due to buckling of a thick continental lithosphere. Tectonics 1994; 13(5): 1309–1321.
Doglioni C., Tropeano M., Mongelli F., Pieri P. Middle-late Pleistocene uplift of Puglia: an anomaly in the Apenninic foreland. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1996; 51.
Dramis F. Il ruolo dei sollevementi tettonici a largo raggio nella genesi del rilievo appenninico. Studi Geologici Camerti, Special Issue 1992; 9–15.
Funiciello R., Montone P., Salvini F., Tozzi M. Caratteri strutturali del Promontorio del Gargano. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1988; 41: 1235–1243.
Funiciello R., Montone P., Parotto M., Salvini F., Tozzi M. Geodynamic evolution of an intraorogenic foreland: the Apulia case history (Italy). Boll. Soc. Geol. It. 1991; 110: 419–425.
Galli P., Galadini F. Disruptive earthquakes revealed by faulted archaeological relics in Samnium (Molise, southern Italy). Geophy. Res. Let. 2003; 30(5): art. no. 1266.
Gasparini C., Iannaccone G., Scarpa R. Fault plane solutions and seismicity of the Italian peninsula. Tectonophysics 1985; 117: 59–78.
Giano S.I., Maschio L., Alessio M., Ferranti L., Improta S., Schiattarella M. Radiocarbon dating of active faulting in the Agri high valley, Southern Italy. J. Geodynamics 2000; 29: 371–386.
Gruppo di Lavoro C.P.T.I. Catalogo Parametrico dei Terremoti Italiani. ING, GNDT, SGA, SSN, Bologna, 1999.
Harvard Seismology: Centroid-Moment Tensor Project, 2004, http://www.seismology.harvard.edu/projects/CMT/
Hippolyte J.-Cl., Angelier J., Roure F. A major geodynamic change revealed by Quaternary stress patterns in the Southern Apennines (Italy). Tectonophysics 1994; 230: 199–210.
INGV-Harvard European-Mediterranean Regional Centroid-Moment Tensors Project 2004, http://www.ingv.it/seismoglo/RCMT/.
Lavecchia G. The Tyrrhenian-Apennine system: structural setting and seismotectogenesis. Tectonophysics 1988; 147: 263–296.
Lavecchia G., Boncio P., Creati N. A lithospheric-scale seismogenic thrust in central Italy. J. Geodynamics 2003; 36(1–2): 79–94.
Malinverno A., Ryan W.B.F. Extension in the Tyrrhenian Sea and shortening in the Apennines as a result of arc migration driven by sinking of the lithosphere. Tectonics 1986; 5(2): 227–245.
Mallet R. The great Neapolitan earthquake of 1857. The first principles of observational seismology. London, 1862.
Mantovani E., Albarello D., Tamburelli C., Babbucci D. Evolution of the Tyrrhenian basin and surrounding regions as a result of the Africa-Eurasia convergence. J. Geodynamics 1996; 21(1): 35–72.
McKenzie D. Active tectonics of the Mediterranean Region, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc. 1972; 30: 109–185.
Meletti C., Patacca E., Scandone P. Construction of a Seismotectonic model: the case of Italy. Pure Appl. Geophys. 2000; 157: 11–35.
Mostardini F., Merlini S. Appennino centro-meridionale. Sezioni Geologiche e proposta di modello strutturale. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1986; 35: 177–202.
Müller S., Panza G.F. Evidence of a deep-reaching lithospheric root under the Alpine arc. Developments in Geotectonics 1986; 21: 93–113.
Nicolich R. Crustal structures from seismic studies in the frame of the European Geotraverse (Southern segment) and CROP Project. In The lithosphere in Italy, CNR-Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Roma, 1989.
Pantosti D., Valensise G. Faulting mechanism and complexity of the 23 November 1980, Campania-Lucania earthquake, inferred from surface observations. J. Geophys. Res. 1990; 95: 15,319–15,341.
Parotto M., Praturlon A. Duecento anni di ricerche geologiche nell’Italia centrale. Volume Giubilare della Soc. Geol. Italiana 1981; 242–278.
Patacca E., Scandone P. Post-Tortonian mountain building in the Apennines: the role of the passive sinking of a relic lithospheric slab. In The lithosphere in Italy, CNR-Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Roma, 1989.
Piccardi L. Structural and morphological observations on the Ventrino active fault. Annales Tectonicae 1995; 9: 39–54.
Piccardi L. Cinematica attuale, comportamento sismico e sismologia storica della faglia attiva di Monte Sant’Angelo (Gargano): la possibile rottura superficiale del ‘leggendario’ terremoto del 493 d.C. Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria 1998; 21: 155–166.
Piccardi L. Paleoseismic evidence of legendary earthquakes: the apparition of Archangel Michael at Monte Sant’Angelo (Gargano, Italy). Tectonophysics. In press.
Piccardi L., Sani F., Bonini M., Boccaletti M., Moratti G., Gualtierotti A. Deformazioni quaternarie nell’Appennino centro-settentrionale: evidenze ed implicazioni. Il Quaternario 1997; 10(2): 273–280.
Piccardi L., Gaudemer Y., Tapponnier P., Boccaletti M. Active oblique extension in the central Apennines (Italy): evidence from the Fucino basin. Geophisical J. Int. 1999; 139(2): 499–530.
Piccardi L., Cello G. Kinematic evolution of the active fault system of the Fucino basin (Central Apennines, Italy). Studi Geologici Camerti. 2003.
Platt J.P., Behrmann J.H., Cunningham P.C., Dewey J.F., Helman M., Parish M., Shepley M.G., Wallis S., Weston P.J. Kinematics of the Alpine arc and the motion history of Adria. Nature 1989; 337: 158–161.
Ricci L.F. The Oligocene to Recent foreland basins of the Northern Apennines. In Foreland Basins,P.A. Allen, P. Homewood, eds., Int. Association of Sedimentologists, Special Publication 1986; 8.
Royden L., Patacca E., Scandone P. Segmentation and configuration of the subducted lithosphere in Italy: an important control on thrust-belt and foredeep basin evolution. Geology 1987; 15: 714–717.
Serva L., Blumetti A.M., Michetti A.M. Gli effetti sul terreno del terremoto del Fucino (13 gennaio 1915); tentativo di interpretazione della evoluzione tettonica recente di alcune strutture. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 1986; 35: 893–907.
Tondi E.. Geological analysis and seismic hazard in the Central Apennines. J. Geodynamics 2000; 29(3–5): 517–534.
Tondi E., Cello G. Spatiotemporal Evolution of the Central Apennines Fault System (Italy). J. Geodynamics 2003; 36: 113–128.
Westaway R.W.C. Seismic moment summation for historical earthquakes in Italy: tectonic implications. J. Geophys. Res. 1992; 97: 15,437–15,464.
Westaway R.W.C., Jackson J. Surface faulting in the southern Italian Campania-Basilicata earthquake of 23 November 1980. Nature 1984; 312: 436–438.
Westaway R.W.C., Jackson J. The earthquake of 1980 November 23 in Campania-Basilicata (southern Italy), Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 1987; 90: 375–443.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
Piccardi, L., Tondi, E., Cello, G. (2006). GEO-STRUCTURAL EVIDENCE FOR ACTIVE OBLIQUE EXTENSION IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ITALY. In: Pinter, N., Gyula, G., Weber, J., Stein, S., Medak, D. (eds) The Adria Microplate: GPS Geodesy, Tectonics and Hazards. Nato Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 61. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4235-3_07
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4235-3_07
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4233-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4235-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)