New data about the Piedimonte Formation (Monte Soro Unit): insights and constraints to the geodynamic evolution of the Sicilian Maghrebids

Abstract

A detailed study of the siliciclastic Piedimonte Fm (Sicilian Maghrebids), cropping out in north-eastern Sicily, between the Peloritani Mts. and the Etna Mt., has been carried out. The formation is tectonically covered by the Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Fm, which constitutes a siliciclastic succession unconformable above all the Internal Units of the Sicilian Maghrebids. The Piedimonte Fm resulted younger than the age previously considered in literature, being not older than late Oligocene (Late Chattian) at the base, and not older than early Miocene (Aquitanian) in the upper part. The Piedimonte Fm stratigraphically lies above the Variegated Clays Fm that, in turn, stratigraphically rests above the Monte Soro Fm. Therefore, the Piedimonte Fm constitutes the uppermost part of the Monte Soro Unit, which is re-defined in the present paper and which, from a paleogeographic point of view, is to ascribe to the innermost part (Mauretanian sub-domain) of the Maghrebian Flysch Domain. According to these results, the main phase of deformation of the most internal sector of the Sicilian Maghrebian Flysch Domain occurred not before than Aquitanian, in agreement with the Burdigalian age recognised in more external units.

Miocene tectono-sedimentary evolution of the eastern external Betic Cordillera (Spain)

“…Guerrera et al, 2014;Guerrera & Martín-Martín, 2014a) and otherchains (e.g. Belayouni et al, 2009Belayouni et al, , 2006Belayouni, Guerrera, Martín-Martín, & Serrano, 2013). The logic was to make comparison between the External Betic sector and other external domains of the northern Africa (Rif and Tunisian Tell) and Apennine Chain in order to highlight common regional tectonic events for a better comprehension of the Miocene evolution of the central-western Mediterranean region.…”

Structural and tectono-stratigraphic review of the Sicilian orogen and new insights from analogue modeling

“…Later, during the Oligocene, deep-water varicolored clays (the so-called "Variegated" clays or also "Argile Scagliose", Ogniben, 1953) were deposited in the Alpine Tethys realm (Belayouni et al, 2006;Guerrera et al, 2005;Finetti, 2005), with locally whitish marly calcareous and calcarenitic turbidites (Polizzi Fm. ), both characterizing the "Sicilide complex".…”

“…Stacked against the Peloritani block, the Oligocene to Lower Miocene conglomerates and flysch-type trench-fill deposits (Piedimonte Fm.) constitute the early accretionary prism (Figure 3a) developing at the front of the migrating Corso-Sardinian block (Lentini and Carbone, 2014;Finetti, 2005;Belayouni et al, 2006). Flyschs and basal conglomerates (Conglomerato Rosso Fm.…”

“…Upward, the sequence called Capo d'Orlando Fm. then turns from thrust-top molasse to flysch-type sediments (Ogniben, 1960;Lentini and Carbone, 2014;Belayouni et al, 2006), whose detritical source comes from the erosion of the emerged parts of the Calabro-Peloritani block (Cavazza, 1989;Thomson, 1994). The significant forearc infill by the Capo d'Orlando turbidites initiated during the early deformation of the Peloritani-Calabria block (still attached to the Corso-Sarde block at that time), as evidenced by the Late Oligocene Alpine metamorphic overprint of the Peloritani crystalline basement (Atzori et al, 1994) and its late orogenic exhumation (Thomson, 1994).…”

“…Soro subunit), and then overlain by the Upper Oligocene-Early Miocene forearc deposits of the Capo d'Orlando Fm. (Belayouni et al, 2006).…”