scholarly journals Plate kinematic relationship between the Tyrrhenian basin and the Apennine chain (Central Mediterranean)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Paolo Pierantoni ◽  
Giulia Penza ◽  
Chiara Macchiavelli ◽  
Antonio Schettino ◽  
Eugenio Turco
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Plate Boundaries ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Complex Deformation ◽  
Kinematic Relationship ◽  
Geodynamic Processes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Back Arc ◽  
Apennine Chain ◽  
Tyrrhenian Basin

<p>The fragmentation of the Adriatic plate and the sinking of the remnant Alpine Tethys and Ionian lithosphere give rise to passive subduction processes that, together with the collision of the African and European plates, characterize the Central Mediterranean area.<br>Circum - Mediterranean mountain ranges and Alboran, Balearic, Tyrrhenian and Hellenic back-arc basins are formed in this complex deformation system.<br>The evolution of the geodynamic processes that guided the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin and the contemporary formation of the Apennine chain are described in this work using the plate kinematics technique.<br>The study area has been divided into polygons (crustal blocks of microplates) after careful observation of the regional structures. The polygons are distinguished on the basis of the direction of the Tyrrhenian extension and the boundaries between them coincide with the large structures that characterize the Tyrrhenian-Apennine area.<br>The Tyrrhenian extension directions are indicators of the Euler poles of the individual polygons, in the Sardo-Corso block reference frame. The velocity ratios were determined by the slip vectors of the structures (plate boundaries) that separates the polygons. The rotation time and angle are determined respectively: using the stratigraphic records of the syn-rift sequences and comparing the crustal balance with the speed ratios.<br>At the end including the new kinematic framework in the global rotation model we were able to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the central Mediterranean during the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin.</p>

scholarly journals The opening of the Tyrrhenian basin and the Apennine chain formation in the kinematic context of Africa - Europe collision

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio Turco ◽  
Chiara Macchiavelli ◽  
Pietro Paolo Pierantoni ◽  
Giulia Penza ◽  
Antonio Schettino
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Slip Vector ◽  
Complex Deformation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Plate Kinematics ◽  
Apennine Chain ◽  
Tyrrhenian Basin

<p>The Africa Europe collision, which produces the formation of the Alpine arc, in the Mediterranean area is accompanied by passive subduction processes, resulting from the sinking of the remnant Alpine Tethys and the Ionian lithosphere, and from the fragmentation of the Adriatic plate. In this complex deformation, back-arc basins (Alboran, Balearic, Tyrrhenian and Hellenic) and circum - Mediterranean mountain ranges are formed.</p><p>In this work we focus our attention on the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin and the contemporary formation of the Apennine chain.</p><p>In order to describe the evolution of the geodynamic processes that guided the formation of the Tyrrhenian basin and the Apennine chain we used the plate kinematics technique. Through careful observation of the regional structures we have divided the area of the Apennine Chain and the Tyrrhenian basin into polygons (crustal blocks or microplates) distinguished on the basis of the direction of the Tyrrhenian extension. The boundary between the polygons has been placed coinciding with the large structures that characterize the Tyrrhenian-Apennine area. The rotation poles of the individual polygons, in the frame of reference of the Sardo-Corso block, are based on the Tyrrhenian extension directions that characterize them. The velocity ratio between the polygons was determined by the slip vector of the structure (plate boundary) that separates them. To determine the rotation time of the polygons we used the stratigraphic records of the syn-rift sequences, while the rotation angle of the polygons is obtained comparing the crustal balance with the speed ratios.</p><p>Finally, the kinematic framework obtained, included in the global rotation model, allowed us to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the central Mediterranean during the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin.</p><p><strong>Key Words</strong>: Tyrrhenian-Apennine System, Non-rigid plate kinematics.</p>

scholarly journals Kinematics of Deformable Blocks: Application to the Opening of the Tyrrhenian Basin and the Formation of the Apennine Chain

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Eugenio Turco ◽  
Chiara Macchiavelli ◽  
Giulia Penza ◽  
Antonio Schettino ◽  
Pietro Paolo Pierantoni
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
Euler Pole ◽  
Angular Velocities ◽  
Tectonic Style ◽  
Back Arc ◽  
Apennine Chain ◽  
Tyrrhenian Basin ◽  
Extensional Structures

We describe the opening of back-arc basins and the associated formation of accretionary wedges through the application of techniques of deformable plate kinematics. These methods have proven to be suitable to describe complex tectonic processes, such as those that are observed along the Africa–Europe collision belt. In the central Mediterranean area, these processes result from the passive subduction of the lithosphere belonging to the Alpine Tethys and Ionian Ocean. In particular, we focus on the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin and the contemporary formation of the Apennine chain. We divide the area of the Apennine Chain and the Tyrrhenian basin into deformable polygons that are identified on the basis of sets of extensional structures that are coherent with unique Euler pole grids. The boundaries between these polygons coincide with large tectonic lineaments that characterize the Tyrrhenian–Apennine area. The tectonic style along these structures reflects the variability of relative velocity vectors between two adjacent blocks. The deformation of tectonic elements is accomplished, allowing different rotation velocities of lines that compose these blocks about the same stable stage poles. The angular velocities of extension are determined on the basis of the stratigraphic records of syn-rift sequences, while the rotation angles are obtained by crustal balancing.

scholarly journals Basic Role of Extrusion Processes in the Late Cenozoic Evolution of the Western and Central Mediterranean Belts

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 499
Author(s):  
Marcello Viti ◽  
Enzo Mantovani ◽  
Daniele Babbucci ◽  
Caterina Tamburelli ◽  
Marcello Caggiati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Space Distribution ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Back Arc ◽  
Orogenic Belts

Tectonic activity in the Mediterranean area (involving migrations of old orogenic belts, formation of basins and building of orogenic systems) has been determined by the convergence of the confining plates (Nubia, Arabia and Eurasia). Such convergence has been mainly accommodated by the consumption of oceanic and thinned continental domains, triggered by the lateral escapes of orogenic wedges. Here, we argue that the implications of the above basic concepts can allow plausible explanations for the very complex time-space distribution of tectonic processes in the study area, with particular regard to the development of Trench-Arc-Back Arc systems. In the late Oligocene and lower–middle Miocene, the consumption of the eastern Alpine Tethys oceanic domain was caused by the eastward to SE ward migration/bending of the Alpine–Iberian belt, driven by the Nubia–Eurasia convergence. The crustal stretching that developed in the wake of that migrating Arc led to formation of the Balearic basin, whereas accretionary activity along the trench zone formed the Apennine belt. Since the collision of the Anatolian–Aegean–Pelagonian system (extruding westward in response to the indentation of the Arabian promontory) with the Nubia-Adriatic continental domain, around the late Miocene–early Pliocene, the tectonic setting in the central Mediterranean area underwent a major reorganization, aimed at activating a less rested shortening pattern, which led to the consumption of the remnant oceanic and thinned continental domains in the central Mediterranean area.

scholarly journals A dynamic model for solar radiation in the Tyrrhenian Basin of Central Mediterranean area

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Naccarato
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Constrained Estimation ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Time Model ◽  
Tyrrhenian Basin

Studying the level of solar radiation is important for problems related to both environmental pollution and alternative energy development. In this work a space-time model for solar radiation in the Tyrrhenian basin is presented. Three main features of the model must be stressed because of their importance in modelling space-time variability of a phenomenon. The first and most important one is that relations between solar radiation in different sites are an outcome of the model’s estimation procedure. With this approach spatial weights are not bound to be symmetrical and proportional to distance between locations or to be constant over time. The second one is the presence of a simultaneous effect among locations as the solar radiation in one of them is a function of what simultaneously happens in all the other ones. The third main feature of the model is represented by constrained estimation on the basis of <em>a priori</em> knowledge about the phenomenon that allows to cope the problem of the increased number of parameters.

scholarly journals Algerian Olive Germplasm and Its Relationships with the Central-Western Mediterranean Varieties Contributes to Clarify Cultivated Olive Diversification

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
Kamel Atrouz ◽  
Ratiba Bousba ◽  
Francesco Paolo Marra ◽  
Annalisa Marchese ◽  
Francesca Luisa Conforti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
New Information ◽  
Mediterranean History ◽  
New Synonymy

Olive tree with its main final product, olive oil, is an important element of Mediterranean history, considered the emblematic fruit of a civilization. Despite its wide diffusion and economic and cultural importance, its evolutionary and phylogenetic history is still difficult to clarify. As part of the Mediterranean basin, Algeria was indicated as a secondary diversification center. However, genetic characterization studies from Maghreb area, are currently underrepresented. In this context, we characterized 119 endemic Algerian accessions by using 12 microsatellite markers with the main goal to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure. In order to provide new insights about the history of olive diversification events in the Central-Western Mediterranean basin, we included and analyzed a sample of 103 Italian accessions from Sicily and, a set of molecular profiles of cultivars from the Central-Western Mediterranean area. The phylogenetic investigation let us to evaluate genetic relationships among Central-Mediterranean basin olive germplasm, highlight new synonymy cases to support the importance of vegetative propagation in the cultivated olive diffusion and consolidate the hypothesis of more recent admixture events occurrence. This work provided new information about Algerian germplasm biodiversity and contributed to clarify olive diversification process.

scholarly journals Inverted Basins by Africa–Eurasia Convergence at the Southern Back-Arc Tyrrhenian Basin

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Maria Filomena Loreto ◽  
Camilla Palmiotto ◽  
Filippo Muccini ◽  
Valentina Ferrante ◽  
Nevio Zitellini
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Magnetic Data ◽  
Normal Faults ◽  
Sedimentary Sequence ◽  
Initiation Zone ◽  
Arc Setting ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles ◽  
Back Arc ◽  
Flower Structures ◽  
Tyrrhenian Basin

The southern part of Tyrrhenian back-arc basin (NW Sicily), formed due to the rifting and spreading processes in back-arc setting, is currently undergoing contractional tectonics. The analysis of seismic reflection profiles integrated with bathymetry, magnetic data and seismicity allowed us to map a widespread contractional tectonics structures, such as positive flower structures, anticlines and inverted normal faults, which deform the sedimentary sequence of the intra-slope basins. Two main tectonic phases have been recognised: (i) a Pliocene extensional phase, active during the opening of the Vavilov Basin, which was responsible for the formation of elongated basins bounded by faulted continental blocks and controlled by the tear of subducting lithosphere; (ii) a contractional phase related to the Africa-Eurasia convergence coeval with the opening of the Marsili Basin during the Quaternary time. The lithospheric tear occurred along the Drepano paleo-STEP (Subduction-Transform-Edge-Propagator) fault, where the upwelling of mantle, intruding the continental crust, formed a ridge. Since Pliocene, most of the contractional deformation has been focused along this ridge, becoming a good candidate for a future subduction initiation zone.

Geodetic observations for constraining mantle processes in Antarctica

2021 ◽  
pp. M56-2021-22
Author(s):  
Mirko Scheinert ◽  
Olga Engels ◽  
Ernst J. O. Schrama ◽  
Wouter van der Wal ◽  
Martin Horwath
Keyword(s):  
Data Sets ◽  
Satellite Mission ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
Geodynamic Processes ◽  
Grace Satellite ◽  
Mantle Processes ◽  
Gnss Measurements ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Seismic Deformation

AbstractGeodynamic processes in Antarctica such as glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and post-seismic deformation are measured by geodetic observations such as GNSS and satellite gravimetry. GNSS measurements have been comprising continuous measurements as well as episodic measurements since the mid-1990s. The estimated velocities typically reach an accuracy of 1 mm/a for horizontal and 2 mm/a for vertical velocities. However, the elastic deformation due to present-day ice-load change needs to be considered accordingly.Space gravimetry derives mass changes from small variations in the inter-satellite distance of a pair of satellites, starting with the GRACE satellite mission in 2002 and continuing with the GRACE-FO mission launched in 2018. The spatial resolution of the measurements is low (about 300 km) but the measurement error is homogeneous across Antarctica. The estimated trends contain signals from ice mass change, local and global GIA signal. To combine the strengths of the individual data sets statistical combinations of GNSS, GRACE and satellite altimetry data have been developed. These combinations rely on realistic error estimates and assumptions of snow density. Nevertheless, they capture signal that is missing from geodynamic forward models such as the large uplift in the Amundsen Sea sector due to low-viscous response to century-scale ice-mass changes.

scholarly journals African dust outbreaks over the Mediterranean Basin during 2001–2011: PM<sub>10</sub> concentrations, phenomenology and trends, and its relation with synoptic and mesoscale meteorology

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 28195-28235 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Pey ◽  
X. Querol ◽  
A. Alastuey ◽  
F. Forastiere ◽  
M. Stafoggia
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Sharp Change ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Mesoscale Meteorology ◽  
Transitional Area ◽  
African Dust ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The occurrence of African dust outbreaks over the whole Mediterranean Basin has been identified on an 11-yr period (2001–2011). In order to evaluate the impact of such mineral dust outbreaks on ambient concentrations of particulate matter, PM10 data from regional and suburban background sites across the Mediterranean area were compiled. After identifying the daily influence of African dust, a methodology for estimating natural dust contributions on daily PM10 concentrations was applied. Our results reveal that African dust outbreaks occur with much higher frequency in southern areas of the Mediterranean, from 30 to 37% of the annual days, whereas they take place less than 20% of the annual days in northern sites. The central Mediterranean emerges as a transitional area, with slightly higher frequency of dust episodes in its lower extreme when compared to equivalent areas in western and eastern sides of the Basin. A decreasing south to north gradient of African dust contribution to PM10 is patent across the Mediterranean. Our study demonstrates that this gradient may be mainly explained by the latitudinal position. A longitudinal increasing trend of African dust contribution to PM10 is also observed from 25° E eastwards, and is due to the annual occurrence of intense dust episodes. Thus, the slightly higher frequency of African dust episodes over the lower part of Central Mediterranean is compensated by its moderately lower intensity. Concerning seasonality patterns and intensity characteristics, a clear summer prevalence is observed in the western part, with low occurrence of severe episodes (daily dust averages over 100 μg m−3 in PM10); no seasonal trend is detected in the central region, with moderate-intensity episodes; and significantly higher contributions are common in autumn-spring in the eastern side, with yearly occurrence of various severe episodes. Overall, African dust emerges as the largest PM10 source in regional background southern areas of the Mediterranean (35–50% of PM10), with seasonal peak contributions to PM10 up to 80% of the total mass. The multi-year study of African dust episodes and their contributions to PM10 concentrations allowed us to identify a consistent decreasing trend in the period 2006/2007 to 2011 in 4 of the 17 studied regions, all of them located in the NW of the Mediterranean. The observed trend is almost parallel to the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) index for the summer period, progressively more negative since 2006 onwards. As a consequence, a sharp change in the atmospheric circulation over the last 5 yr (a similar negative NAO period occurred in the 1950 decade) have affected the number of African dust episodes and their mean contribution to PM10 in the NW part of the Mediterranean. The investigation of summer temperatures at 850 hPa suggest that warm air accomplishing African dust air masses moved anomalously through the central Mediterranean in the 2007–2008 period, whereas it was displaced atypically to the NW African coast and the Canary Islands in the 2009–2011 period.

scholarly journals Comparison of Online and Offline Methods for Measuring Fine Secondary Inorganic Ions and Carbonaceous Aerosols in the Central Mediterranean Area

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 2641-2653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella Malaguti ◽  
Mihaela Mircea ◽  
Teresa M.G. La Torretta ◽  
Chiara Telloli ◽  
Ettore Petralia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosols ◽  
Central Mediterranean
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document