Geology of the Eastern Ligurian Alps: a review of the tectonic units

Abstract

This is a PDF le of an article that has undergoneenhancementsafter acceptance,such as the addition of a cover page and metadata,and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the de nitive version of record. This version will under go additionalcopyediting, typesettingand review before it is publishedin its nal form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process,errors may be discoveredwhich could affect thecontent,andall legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Consumption of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide through Weathering of Ultramafic Rocks in the Voltri Massif (Italy): Quantification of the Process and Global Implications

“…The geology of the area is dominated by the Voltri Massif, a 30 km wide, E-W elongated tectono-metamorphic unit [38,39]. The Voltri Massif, which has in the M. Beigua (1287 m asl) its highest peak, belongs to the internal Penninic Units of the Western Alps and is located at the boundary between Western Alps and Northern Apennines.…”

“…It is separated from the Apennine chain by the Sestri Voltaggio zone to the east and bordered to the south by the Ligurian sea and to the north by the Tertiary sediments (continental to shallow marine breccias, conglomerates and sandstones) of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin [40][41][42][43] and it is in contact to the west with the Hercynian continental basement rocks of the Savona Massif [44]. The Voltri tectono-metamorphic unit corresponds to a remnant of the oceanic lithosphere of the Jurassic Piedmont-Ligurian ocean subducted during plate convergence between Europe and Adria [39,[45][46][47][48][49]. It is composed of metamorphic ophiolitic rocks with associated metasediments and slices of lithospheric mantle placed at the top of the meta-ophiolite series (Figure 1b).…”

“…It is composed of metamorphic ophiolitic rocks with associated metasediments and slices of lithospheric mantle placed at the top of the meta-ophiolite series (Figure 1b). Meta-ophiolites mainly consist of serpentinites, metagabbros, and metabasites; associated metasediments comprise calc-schists, and minor mica-schists and quartz-schists; mantle rocks include lherzolite and harzburgite and minor fractions of pyroxenite and dunite [39,43,45,46,[50][51][52][53][54].…”

“…From lower Eocene until the Eocene-Oligocene boundary the Voltri Massif experienced a complex deformational evolution linked to different phases of the subduction-exhumation cycle of the Alpine orogenesis [44,55], with metamorphic conditions evolving from eclogitic to greenschist facies [39,54,56,57].…”

Geological Map of a Treasure Chest of Geodiversity: The Lavagnina Lakes Area (Alessandria, Italy)

“…Further details on the geological framework of the area can be found in the literature [1,5,[10][11][12].…”