Neogene patterns of relative plate motion for Africa-Europe: some implications for recent central Mediterranean tectonics

Mazzoli, Stefano; Helman, Mark

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-38521-0_19

Cited by 115 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Miocene to Early Pleistocene thrust accretion across the Adriatic (or Apulian) continental margin and Tyrrhenian back-arc extension (Kastens et al, 1988) were driven by gravity-induced sinking of the Adriatic and Ionian Sea lithosphere and related subduction roll-back (e.g. Malinverno and Ryan, 1986;Patacca and Scandone, 1989;Mazzoli and Helman, 1994, and references therein). In the northern and central sectors of the thrust belt, Liguride oceanic-derived units and Subliguride continental margin sequences form part of a detachment sheet tectonically overlying Oligo-Miocene synorogenic strata of the ToscanaUmbria district (including the Falterona-Trasimeno Unit in Fig.…”

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miocene fault-controlled sedimentation and thrust propagation in the previously faulted external zones of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, Italy

Mazzoli¹,

Deiana²,

Galdenzi³

et al. 2002

Stephan Mueller Spec. Publ. Ser.

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Abstract. Thrust propagation through previously faulted continental margins may result in fold and thrust belts whose structure is strongly controlled by the inherited basin architecture. A detailed geological study has been carried out in the external zone of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, from Monte San Vicino to the north, to Montagna dei Fiori to the south. Stratigraphic and structural data, together with the construction of a series of balanced and restored geological sections, point out the fundamental role played by the preorogenic basin architecture in controlling the geometry and evolution of the fold and thrust belt. Pre-thrusting structures include not only those inherited from the Mesozoic rifted continental margin, but also synsedimentary faults associated with Miocene extension which occurred ahead of the advancing thrust front. The latter structures produced important facies and thickness variations in the units deposited during the late Burdigalian-early Messinian, pre-evaporitic stages of foredeep development. In the southern sector (Montagna dei Fiori), high values of Messinian regional subsidence, bathymetry and sedimentation rate overcome the effects of synsedimentary extensional tectonics, which is best recorded in pre-Messinian sequences. On the other hand, Messinian regional subsidence was significantly less in the northern sector (Monte San Vicino). Here, several minor sub-basins developed within the foredeep, generally reaching evaporitic conditions during the middle Messinian (marked by the deposition of the Gessoso-solfifera Fm). In this area, a major control by pre-thrusting normal faults on sedimentation is recorded in the foredeep siliciclastic sequences. Late Burdigalian-early Messinian extension, possibly associated with flexure of the foreland lithosphere, peripheral bulge uplift and/or foreland tectonic activity, was followed by a late Messinian (post-evaporitic) contractional episode of regional extent. During shortening, inversion of preexisting MioceneCorrespondence to: S. Mazzoli (s.mazzoli@geo.uniurb.it) extensional structures was quite limited. Hanging wall basin fills were retained and pre-thrusting faults show very limited or no reversal of slip. However, these faults and their hanging wall basin fills are generally deformed by buttressing phenomena, and fault planes are often tilted and/or locally reactivated in strike-slip. The present-day structure is dominated by newly-formed thrusts that cut across the preexisting extensional architecture, which is in general quite well preserved within different thrust sheets.

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Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miocene fault-controlled sedimentation and thrust propagation in the previously faulted external zones of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, Italy

Mazzoli¹,

Deiana²,

Galdenzi³

et al. 2002

Stephan Mueller Spec. Publ. Ser.

Self Cite

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“…Taking into account the recent change (9 My) in the Africa-Eurasia Euler vector to NW-SE (Mazzoli and Helman, 1994) and the presence of large intraplate basement uplifts with an NE-SW trend (Atlas and Spanish-Portuguese Central System), a set of 4 NW-SE profiles perpendicular to the main topographic and gravity anomalies was also measured (Fig. 10).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral analysis of the gravity and elevation along the western Africa–Eurasia plate tectonic limit: Continental versus oceanic lithospheric folding signals

et al. 2010

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“…The velocity vector is best derived from large-scale plate tectonic constraints, as has been discussed by Mazzoli and Helman [1994]. Their convergence vector has been recalculated for a point position on the indenter head and is labeled 2 in Figures 2 and 6.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cutting of the European continental lithosphere: Plasticity theory applied to the present Alpine collision

Regenauer‐Lieb¹,

Petit²

1997

J. Geophys. Res.

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Abstract. Presently active European Alpine collision has a history of more than 100 Myr convergence. We investigate the collisional contact problem of an apparently rigid African promontory (currently the Italy/Adria block (IAB)) steadily penetrating at 1 cm/yr, over at least the past 45 Myr, into the deformable European plate. We assume that neither continental subduction nor delamination occurs presently in the 300-km-wide contact zone enabling use of the indenter-indentee approach. A key parameter is the aspect ratio h/a, defined by the width of the deformable foreland over the width of the indenter itself. This parameter controls the activation of two fundamentally different modes of deformation: (1) classical indentation mode for h/a > 4.4, described by previous authors, and having effect only in a portion of the deformable plate in the vicinity of the indenter and (2) cutting mode for h/a _< 4.4 giving plane strain longitudinal splitting of the entire deformable plate and plastic separation of the two halves. We use a matrix operator method to solve for slip lines in the mixed boundary value problem (obliquity, velocity, friction, stress) of the European Alpine case. Implications are as follows: (1) plane stress, vertical lithospheric thickening is the first indentation mode of continental collision; and (2) for the present ratio of h/a • 3 deformation is in the cutting mode and slow plane strain intraplate extension (rifting) is predicted. This mode explains the intraplate stress field obtained from borehole and earthquake data. Considering that the paleoindenter probably has been larger than the IAB it is inferred that h/a has been below 4.4 since at least the end of the Eocene and that consequently the intraplate graben system (Lower Rhine, Rhine, Bresse, Limagne) is due to the cutting of the European plate by Alpine collision.

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Neogene patterns of relative plate motion for Africa-Europe: some implications for recent central Mediterranean tectonics

Cited by 115 publications

References 25 publications

Miocene fault-controlled sedimentation and thrust propagation in the previously faulted external zones of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, Italy

Miocene fault-controlled sedimentation and thrust propagation in the previously faulted external zones of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, Italy

Spectral analysis of the gravity and elevation along the western Africa–Eurasia plate tectonic limit: Continental versus oceanic lithospheric folding signals

Cutting of the European continental lithosphere: Plasticity theory applied to the present Alpine collision

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