Provenance signatures for the Miocene volcaniclastic succession of the Tufiti di Tusa Formation, southern Apennines, Italy

Abstract

The Tufiti di Tusa Formation, a siliciclastic turbidite system of lower Miocene age in\ud southern Italy, is mainly composed of volcaniclastic and quartzolithic sandstones interbedded with\ud mudrocks. Sandstones are subdivided into four distinctive petrofacies, evolving from quartzolithic\ud to volcaniclastic lithofeldspathic and feldspatholithic, reflecting detrital evolution from growing\ud orogen (quartzolithic petrofacies) to active volcanism (volcaniclastic petrofacies). The mineralogical\ud composition of the associated mudrocks is predominantly characterized by phyllosilicates, mainly\ud illite/smectite mixed layers (I/S R1 associated with minor amounts of I/S R0 in the lower part of the\ud succession, and I/S R3 in its upper part), together with illite, detrital micas and chlorite, and minor\ud amounts of chlorite/smectite mixed layers and kaolinite, in addition to quartz, calcite and feldspars. The\ud most abundant phyllosilicates are I/S mixed layers, 10-Å minerals (illite and micas) and chlorite, while\ud kaolinite and chlorite–smectite mixed layers are present as a few per cent or in trace amounts. X-ray\ud diffraction patterns show the occurrence of the ordered I/S R1 mixed layers in most samples but, at the\ud top of the succession, some samples are characterized by I/S R3 mixed layers, whilst in the lower part\ud of the succession I/S R1 is associated with a lower amount of I/S R0. These features suggest that the\ud Tufiti di Tusa Formation experienced a medium diagenetic grade, and the occurrence of I/S R3 could\ud be explained by K-availability in samples in the upper part of the succession. The lithic fragments in\ud sandstones are metasedimentary rocks of Palaeozoic age, and andesite to dacite volcanic rocks of early\ud Miocene age. The associated mudrocks also contain trace element ratios (Cr/V, Y/Ni, La/Sc, Th/Sc,\ud Th/Co, Th/Cr, Cr/Th and Eu/Eu∗) consistent with a provenance containing intermediate to silicic\ud sources with scarce or absent basic rocks. The chemical index of alteration (63.2 to 71.6) suggests a\ud moderate degree of weathering in the source. Furthermore, the K/Cs ratios of sediments confirm likely\ud moderate rather than intense weathering. The index of compositional variability (ICV) values (from 1.2\ud to 2.5) are high enough to suggest the mudrocks are first-cycle sediments with little recycling. The Al–\ud Ti–Zr diagram and the Th/Sc v. Zr/Sc plot indicate poor sorting and rapid deposition of the sediments.\ud Detrital and sedimentary evolution of the Tufiti di Tusa Formation provides constraints, in terms of\ud relations between a growing orogenic system and active volcanism in the Central Mediterranean, to\ud contribute to geodynamic and palaeogeographic reconstructions of the earliest collision in the southern\ud Apennines region

Relationships between Lithospheric Flexure, Thrust Tectonics and Stratigraphic Sequences in Foreland Setting: the Southern Apennines Foreland Basin System, Italy

“…15; e.g. Fornelli and Piccarreta, 1997;Critelli and Le Pera, 1998;Perri et al, 2011). Volcaniclastic detritus, interbedded with quartzose sandstone strata, seem to be also deposited within the back-bulge Lagonegro depozone (Pescatore et al, 1988).…”

The Early Miocene “Bisciaro volcaniclastic event” (northern Apennines, Italy): a key study for the geodynamic evolution of the central-western Mediterranean

“…European margin (Sardinia Trough). The high-Mg basalt (transitional tholeiitic) volcanism (Mattioli et al 2000) and the volcano-sedimentary successions (Assorgia et al 1997;Guerrera et al 2004) are presumably connected with the volcanic activity from the Sardinia has often been proposed as the source area for the Apennine volcaniclastites, as recently reported by Perri et al (2012). However, the location of Sardinia during the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene would not agree with results of our study and in particular with the presence of epiclastic processes because Sardinia was palaeogeographically located too far from the Umbria-Romagna-Marche sedimentary basins (Fig.…”

“…Maghrebian Flysch Basin. In Sicily and CalabriaPeloritani Arc, mainly andesitic to dacitic and also rhyolitic volcanism has been detected (Balogh et al 1993;de Capoa et al 2002;Bonardi et al 2003;Guerrera et al 2005;Perri et al 2012). This volcanism is probably connected with the northward subduction of the African Plate beneath the southern margin of the Mesomediterranean Microplate but also to the opening of back-arc basins.…”

Mass movements inventory map of the Rubbio stream catchment (Basilicata – South Italy)

“…The flyschoid rocks, represented by deep deformations, are middle Triassic to Eocene Flysch and made up of clay, silty clay marl, siltstone, sandstone and marly limestones. These deposits belong to several units, in different palaeogeographical domains, such as the Liguride (Crete Nere, Saraceno and Frido Formation) (Perri et al, 2012), and the Sicilide (Argille Varicolori Fm.) palaeobasins (Bonardi et al, 1988;Critelli et al, 2011Critelli et al, , 2013.…”