Abstract
Two groups of sedimentary basins have been recognised in the upper Miocene-Quaternary of the Strait of Sicily: basins in one group have a Tortonian sedimentary fill, while in the others the filling is Plio-Quaternary. Tortonian basins are the Adventure foredeep and some narrow grabens, trending NE-SW, present in the foreland. Afterwards, the foredeep was incorporated into the fold-and-thrust belt and the grabens were inverted. Plio-Quaternary basins are the Gela foredeep and the troughs of the Strait of Sicily. Data concerning both the Tortonian and the Plio-Quaternary indicate that extension in the grabens and shortening in the fold-and-thrust belt occurred along the same orientation and that this orientation rotated in time from NW-SE in the Tortonian to about N-S in the Plio-Quaternary. These facts can be accounted for by processes like subducted slab roll-back or lithospheric mantle delamination, occurring at the scale of the Central Mediterranean, which may have originated the Tyrrhenian basin.
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
Antonelli, M., Franciosi, R., Querci, A., Ronco, G.P. and Vezzani, F. (1988) ‘Paleogeographic evolution and structural setting of the Northern side of the Sicily Channel’, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 41, 141–157.
Argnani, A. (1987) ‘The Gela Nappe: evidence of accretionary melange in the Maghrebian foredeep of Sicily’, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 38, 419–428.
Argnani, A. (1990) ‘The Strait of Sicily Rift Zone: foreland deformation related to the evolution of a back-arc basin’, Journal of Geodynamics, 12,311–331.
Argnani, A., Cornini, S., Torelli, L. and Zitellini, N. (1986) ‘Neogene-Quaternary foredeep system in the Strait of Sicily’, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 36, 123–130.
Argnani, A., Cornini, S., Torelli, L. and Zitellini, N. (1987) ‘Diachronous foredeep-system in the Neogene-Quaternary of the Strait of Sicily’, Mem. Soc. Geol It., 38, 407–417.
Barberi, F., Civetta, L., Gasparini, P., Innocenti, F., Scandone, R. and Villari, L. (1974) ‘Evolution of a section of the Africa-Europe plate boundary: paleomagnetic and volcanological evidence from Sicily’, Earth Plan. Sci. Lett., 22, 123–132.
Beccaluva, L., Colantoni, P., Di Girolamo, P. and Savelli, C. (1981) ‘Upper-Miocene Submarine Volcanism in the Strait of Sicily (Banco Senza Nome)’, Bull. Volcanol., 44, 573–581.
Boccaletti, M., Nicolich, R. and Tortorici, L. (1984) ‘The Calabrian Arc and the Ionian Sea in the dynamic evolution of the Central Mediterranean’, Marine Geology, 55, 219–245.
Boccaletti, M., Cello G. and Tortorici, L. (1987) ‘Transtensional tectonics in the Sicily Channel’, J. Struct. Geol., 9, 869–876.
Butler, R. W. H., Grasso M. and La Manna F. (1992) ‘Origin and deformation of the Neogene-Recent Maghrebian foredeep at the Gela Nappe, SE Sicily’, J. Geol. Soc. London, 149, 547–556.
Calanchi, N., Colantoni, P., Rossi, P.L., Saitta, M. and Serri, G. (1989) ‘The Strait of Sicily Continental Rift System: Physiography and Petrochemistry of the Submarine Volcanic Centres’, Marine Geology, 87, 55–83.
Carbone S., Grasso M. and Lentini F. (1982) ‘Considerazioni sull’evoluzione geodinamica della Sicilia sud-orienale dal Cretaceo al Quaternario’, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 24, 367–386.
Catalano, R. and DArgenio, B. (1982) ‘Schema geologico della Sicilia occidentale’, in Catalano, R. and DArgenio, B. (eds.), Guida alla Geologia della Sicilia occidentale, Palermo, 9–41.
Channell, J.E.T. (1986) ‘Paleomagnetism and continental collision in the Alpine Belt and the formation of late-tectonic extensional basins’, in Coward, M.P. and Ries, A.C. (eds.), Collision Tectonics, Geol. Soc. London, spec. Publ., 19, 261–284.
Channell, J.E.T. and Mareschal, J.C. (1988) ‘Delamination and asymmetric lithospheric thinning in the development of the Tyrrhenian rift’, in Coward M. P., Dietrich D. and Park R.G. (eds.), Alpine Tectonics, Geol. Soc. London, spec. Publ. 45, 285–302.
Civetta, L., Cornette, Y., Crisci, G., Gillot, P.Y., Orsi, G. and Requiejo, C.S. (1984) ‘Geology, geochronology and chemical evolution of the island of Pantelleria’, Geol. Mag., 6, 541–562.
Colantoni, P. (1975) ‘Note di geologia marina sul Canale di Sicilia’, Giorn. Geol., 40, 181–207.
Colombi, B., Giese, P., Luongo, G., Morelli, C., Riuscetti, M., Scarascia, S., Schutte, K.G., Strowald, J. and De Visintini, G. (1973) ‘Preliminary report on the seismic refraction profile Gargano-Salerno-Palermo-Pantelleria’, Boll. Geofis. Teor. Appl., 15, 225–254.
Delia Vedova, B. and Pellis, G. (1985) ‘Age Estimates from Heat Flow and Subsidence Data in the Rifting Basins of the Southern EGT Segment’, in ESF, Second EGT Workshop, The Southern Segment, Venice, 7–9 February, 235–239.
Dewey, J.F. (1980) ‘Episodicity, sequency and style at convergent plate boundaries’, in Strangway, D.W. (ed.), The Continental Crust and its Mineral Deposits, Spec. Pap., Geol. Assoc. Can., 20, 553–573.
Etheridge, M. A. (1987) ‘On reactivation of extensional fault systems’, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London, 141, 170–194.
Finetti, I. (1984) ‘Geophysical Study of the Sicily Channel rift zone’, Boll. Geofis. Teor. Appl., 26, 3–28.
Finetti, I. and Morelli, C. (1972) ‘Wide scale digital seismic exploration of the Mediterranean Sea’, Boll. Geofis. Teor. Appl., 14, 291–342.
Grasso M., De Dominicis A. and Mazzoldi G. (1990) ‘Structures and tectonic setting of the western margin of the Hyblean-Malta shelf, Central mediterranean’, Annales Tectonicae, 4, 140–154.
Horvath, F. and Berckhemer, H. (1982) ‘Mediterranean Backarc Basins’, in Berckhemer, H. and Hsu, K.J. (eds.), Alpine-Mediterranean Geodynamics, AGU, Geodynamic Series, 7, 141–173.
Houseman, G.A., McKenzie, D.P. and Molnar, P. (1981) ‘Convective instability of a thickened boundary layer and its relevance for the thermal evolution of continental convergent belts’, J. Geoph. Res., 86, 6115–6132.
Hsu, K.J. (1977) ‘Tectonic evolution of the Mediterranean basins’, in Nairn, A.E.M., Kanes, W.S. and Stehli, F.G. (eds.), The Ocean Basins and Margins, Vol. 4A, Plenum Press, New York, 29–75.
Illies J. H. (1981) ‘Graben formation — the Maltese Islands — a case history’, Tectonophysics, 73, 151–168.
I.O.C., (1987) ‘International bathymetric chart of the Mediterranan’, Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the USSR.
Jongsma, D., Van Hinte, J.E. and Woodside, J.M. (1985) ‘Geologic stryucture and neotectonics of the north African continental margin south of Sicily’, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2, 156–179.
Kastens, K., Mascle, J. and ODP cruise (1988) ‘ODP Leg 107 in the Tyrrhenian Sea: insights into passive margin and back-arc basin evolution’, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 100, 1140–1156.
Kincaid, C. and Olson, P. (1987) ‘An experimental study of subduction and slab migration’, J. Geophs. Res., 92, 13832–13849.
Kusznir, N. and Park, R.G. (1987) ‘The extensional strength of the continental lithosphere: its dependence on geothermal gradient, and crustal composition and thickness’, in: Coward, M.P., Dewey F.F. and Hancock, P.L. (eds.), Continental Extension Tectonics, Geol. Soc. London, spec. Publ., 28, 35–52.
Malinverno, A. and Ryan, W.B.F. (1986) ‘Extension in the Tyrrhenian Sea and shortening in the Apennines as a result of arc migration driven by sinking of the lithosphere’, Tectonics, 5, 227–245.
Mascle, J., Kastens, K., Auroux, C. and Leg 107 scientific party (1988) ‘A land-locked back-arc basin: preliminary results from ODP Leg 107 in the Tyrrhenian Sea’, Tectonophysics, 146, 149–162.
Moussat, E. (1983) ‘Evolution de la mer Tyrrhenienne centrale et orientale et de ses marges septentrionales en relation avec la neotectonique dans l’Arc Calabrais’, Thesis of third cycle, Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Oldow, J.S., Channeil, J.E.T., Catalano R. and D’Argenio, B. (1990) ‘Contemporaneous thrusting and large-scale rotation in the Western Sicilian fold and thrust belt’, Tectonics, 9, 661–681.
Patacca, E., Sartori, R. and Scandone P. (1990) ‘Tyrrhenian basin and Apenninic arcs: kinematics relations since late Tortonian times’, Mem. Soc. Geol. It., in press.
Reuther C.D. and Eisbacher, G.H. (1985) ‘Pantelleria Rift: crustal extension in a convergent intraplate setting’, Geol. Rund., 74, 585–597.
Ritsema, A.R. (1979) ‘Active or passive subduction of the Calabrian Arc’, Geol. Mijnbouw, 58, 127–134.
Sartori R., Mascle G. and Amaudric du Chaffaut S. (1987) ‘A Review of Circum-Tyrrhenian Regional Geology’, in Kastens K., Mascle J. et al., Proc. ODP Init. Repts., 107, 37–63.
Scandone, P. (1979) ‘Origin of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Calabrian Arc’, Boll. Soc. Geol. It., 98. 27–34.
Spence, W. (1987) ‘Slab Pull and the Seismotectonics of Subducting Lithosphere’, Rev. Geophysics, 25, 55–69.
Wezel, F.C. (1982) ‘The structure of the Calabro-Sicilian Arc: results of a post-orogenic intra-plate deformation’, in Legget, J.K. (ed.), Trench-Forearc Geology, Geol. Soc. London, spec. Publ., 10, 345–354.
Winnock, E. (1981) ‘Structure du bloc Pelagien’, in Wezel, F.C. (ed.), Sedimentary Basins of the Mediterranean Margins, Bologna, Tecnoprint, 445–467.
Zarudzki, E.F.K. (1972) ‘The Strait of Sicily. A Geophysical Study’, Rev. Geograph., Phys. et Geol. Dynam., 14, 11–28.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Argnani, A. (1993). Neogene Basins in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean): Tectonic Settings and Geodynamic Implications. In: Boschi, E., Mantovani, E., Morelli, A. (eds) Recent Evolution and Seismicity of the Mediterranean Region. NATO ASI Series, vol 402. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2016-6_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2016-6_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4891-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2016-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive