On the forces that drive and resist deformation of the south-central Mediterranean: a mechanical model study

Nijholt, Nicolai; Govers, Rob; Wortel, Rinus

doi:10.1093/gji/ggy144

Cited by 12 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Overall, the geometry of the crust-upper mantle structure beneath our study area is more in favor of a dominant present-day Africa-Eurasia convergence rather than a slab retreat mechanism that was dominant in the last 30 Myr 55 . The nowadays expression of the slab-retreat mechanism is localised at both lateral edges of the Ionian slab, on its transition to the Sicilian domain in the southwest and southern Apennines domain in the northeast.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

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3D shear wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Tyrrhenian basin and margins

Manu‐Marfo

Aoudia

Pachhai

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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The Tyrrhenian basin serves as a natural laboratory for back-arc basin studies in the Mediterranean region. Yet, little is known about the crust-uppermost mantle structure beneath the basin and its margins. Here, we present a new 3D shear-wave velocity model and Moho topography map for the Tyrrhenian basin and its margins using ambient noise cross-correlations. We apply a self-parameterized Bayesian inversion of Rayleigh group and phase velocity dispersions to estimate the lateral variation of shear velocity and its uncertainty as a function of depth (down to 100 km). Results reveal the presence of a broad low velocity zone between 40 and 80 km depth affecting much of the Tyrrhenian basin’s uppermost mantle structure and its extension mimics the paleogeographic reconstruction of the Calabrian arc in time. We interpret the low-velocity structure as the possible source of Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts- and Ocean Island Basalts- type magmatic rocks found in the southern Tyrrhenian basin. At crustal depths, our results support an exhumed mantle basement rather than an oceanic basement below the Vavilov basin. The 3D crust-uppermost mantle structure supports a present-day geodynamics with a predominant Africa-Eurasia convergence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…4). The Sicily-Tyrrhenian offshore thrust front 55 which accommodate the Africa-Europe plate convergence through thrusting type seismicity and structural data 56 and connects to the Ionian fault system 57 is seen here as a crustal feature affecting the Moho topography (Fig. 3d).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

3D shear wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Tyrrhenian basin and margins

Manu‐Marfo

Aoudia

Pachhai

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…The migration of the Calabrian Arc subduction system have significantly slowed down over time (Wortel and Spakman, 2000;Goes et al, 2004;Rosenbaum and Lister, 2004;Faccenna, 2005;Mattei et al, 2007) and it is still weakly active (Palano et al, 2017). This characteristic of the subduction process provides a critical constraint for modeling the present day activity and potential earthquake production of the slab interface (Carafa et al, 2018;Nijholt et al, 2018). Both the propagation and displacement rates of the AFS also significantly slowed down over time, implying that the subduction process and AFS development are interdependent.…”

Section: Tectonic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deformation and Fault Propagation at the Lateral Termination of a Subduction Zone: The Alfeo Fault System in the Calabrian Arc, Southern Italy

2020

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The Calabrian Arc subduction, southern Italy, is a critical structural element in the geodynamic evolution of the central Mediterranean basin. It is a narrow, northwestdipping slab bordered to the southwest by the Alfeo Fault System (AFS) and to the northeast by a gradual transition to a collision. We used a dense set of two-dimensional high-penetration (up to 12 s) multichannel seismic reflection profiles to build a threedimensional model that spans the AFS for over 180 km of its length. We find that the AFS is made up of four deep-seated major blind segments that cut through the lower plate, offset the subduction interface, and only partially propagate upward across the accretionary wedge in the upper plate. These faults evolve with a scissor-like mechanism (mode III of rupture propagation). The shallow part of the accretionary wedge is affected by secondary deformation features well aligned with the AFS at depth but also mechanically decoupled from it. Despite the decoupling, the syn-tectonic Pliocene-Holocene deposits that fill in the accommodation space generated by the AFS activity at depth, constrain the age of inception of the AFS and allows us to estimate its throw and propagation rates. The maximum throw value is 6,000 m in the NW sector and decreases to the SE. Considering the age of faulting, the fault throw rate decreases accordingly from 2.31 mm/yr to 1 mm/yr. The propagation rate decreases from 62 mm/yr to 15 mm/yr during the Pliocene-Pleistocene, suggesting that also the Calabrian subduction process should have slowed down accordingly. The detailed spatial and temporal reconstruction of this type of faults can reveal necessary information about the evolution of subduction systems.

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“…6 a) show the presence of an arc-shaped area of low V P connecting the ME and IF near the eastern coast of Sicily at different depths. Discontinuous patches, characterized by lower seismic velocities between 10 and 20 km of depth, correspond to the main transverse structures (i.e., the AEF and the IF) segmenting the subduction complex 38 . Shape and location of this area are consistent with the distribution of the depth differences shown in Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New seismological data from the Calabrian arc reveal arc-orthogonal extension across the subduction zone

Sgroi

Polonia

Barberi

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The Calabrian Arc subduction-rollback system along the convergent Africa/Eurasia plate boundary is among the most active geological structures in the Mediterranean Sea. However, its seismogenic behaviour is largely unknown, mostly due to the lack of seismological observations. We studied low-to-moderate magnitude earthquakes recorded by the seismic network onshore, integrated by data from a seafloor observatory (NEMO-SN1), to compute a lithospheric velocity model for the western Ionian Sea, and relocate seismic events along major tectonic structures. Spatial changes in the depth distribution of earthquakes highlight a major lithospheric boundary constituted by the Ionian Fault, which separates two sectors where thickness of the seismogenic layer varies over 40 km. This regional tectonic boundary represents the eastern limit of a domain characterized by thinner lithosphere, arc-orthogonal extension, and transtensional tectonic deformation. Occurrence of a few thrust-type earthquakes in the accretionary wedge may suggest a locked subduction interface in a complex tectonic setting, which involves the interplay between arc-orthogonal extension and plate convergence. We finally note that distribution of earthquakes and associated extensional deformation in the Messina Straits region could be explained by right-lateral displacement along the Ionian Fault. This observation could shed new light on proposed mechanisms for the 1908 Messina earthquake.

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On the forces that drive and resist deformation of the south-central Mediterranean: a mechanical model study

Cited by 12 publications

References 74 publications

3D shear wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Tyrrhenian basin and margins

3D shear wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Tyrrhenian basin and margins

Deformation and Fault Propagation at the Lateral Termination of a Subduction Zone: The Alfeo Fault System in the Calabrian Arc, Southern Italy

New seismological data from the Calabrian arc reveal arc-orthogonal extension across the subduction zone

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