Studying travertines for neotectonics investigations: Middle–Late Pleistocene syn-tectonic travertine deposition at Serre di Rapolano (Northern Apennines, Italy)

Abstract

Middle-Late Pleistocene tectonic activity has been inferred through studies on travertine deposits exposed in a tract of the hinterland Northern Apennines. A detailed study on the relationships between tectonics and travertine deposition coupled with 230 Th/ 234 U age determination of travertines at Cava Oliviera quarry, located close to Serre di Rapolano village (southern Tuscany, Northern Apennines), allowed us to recognise Pleistocene faults, whose activity has been referred to 157-24 ka, at least. Travertine deposition was tectonically controlled by WSW-ENE striking, oblique and normal faults, associated to a main fault (named as the Violante Fault). This structure dissected a regional normal fault (known as the Rapolano Fault) Early-Middle Pliocene in age, which bounded the eastern side of the Pliocene Siena Basin, and gave rise to space accommodation for clayey and sandy marine sediments. Hydrothermal circulation (and related travertine deposition) was favoured by the damaging enhancement due to the fault-fault intersection. Tectonic activity has been also documented by deformation recorded by travertines, which suggest a main tectonic event between 64 ± 5 and 40 ± 5 ka. The tectonic activity described for the study area agrees with the Quaternary tectonic evolution documented in the surrounding areas (e.g. Mt. Amiata and Mt. Vulsini), as well as the Tyrrhenian margin of the Central Apennines, indicating that a widespread tectonic activity affected the inner part of the Apennines until the latest Quaternary.

U/Th dating of fissure ridge travertines from the Kirsehir region (Central Anatolia Turkey): structural relations and implications for the Neotectonic development of the Anatolian block

“…Dates are of great value to determine rates of fissure dilation and lateral propagation [11]. And, all these data, with their structural attributes could also suggest a potential neotectonics activity which can be confirmed if active thermal springs and recent travertine deposition are taking place in a region [12].…”

Investigating fossil hydrothermal systems by means of fluid inclusions and stable isotopes in banded travertine: an example from Castelnuovo dell’Abate (southern Tuscany, Italy)

“…Hydrothermal circulation at these sites was favoured by the presence of Neogene-Quaternary brittle structures (Brogi et al 2010a(Brogi et al , b, 2012 that allowed the upwelling of large volumes of meteoric-derived aqueous solutions, heated by the regional high geothermal gradient and enriched in Sr and F through their circulation in Mesozoic carbonate and Triassic evaporite successions (e.g. host rocks of the shallower reservoir; Duchi et al 1992;Cortecci and Lupi 1994;Gasparrini et al 2013;Brogi et al 2015).…”

“…The deeper reservoir (T of 300-350 °C, depth 1000-3000 m) is hosted in metamorphic rocks, while the shallower reservoir (T lower than 200 °C, depth 500-1000 m) is hosted mainly in carbonate rocks (Duchi et al 1992;Batini et al 2003). Travertine deposits are the surface manifestation of hydrothermal fluid circulation within the carbonate reservoirs (Brogi et al 2015 and reference therein) and are widely distributed in southern Tuscany and northern Latium (Minissale 2004, Brogi et al 2010aCapezzuoli et al 2011). Over the last decade, ongoing research mainly focused on the inactive (i.e.…”

“…Over the last decade, ongoing research mainly focused on the inactive (i.e. fossil) depositional systems for neotectonic and palaeoseismological issues (Altunel and Karabacak 2005;Brogi and Capezzuoli 2009;Brogi et al 2010aBrogi et al , 2012Brogi et al , 2014De Filippis et al 2013;Uysal et al 2007), as well as for palaeoclimate reconstructions (Manfra et al 1974;Faccenna et al 2008).…”

Tectonic control of tufa occurrences in the Podhale Synclinorium (Central Western Carpathians, southern Poland)

“…Travertines and tufas are con sid ered to be in di ca tors of tectonic ac tiv ity and can be used as a tool for iden ti fi ca tion of a nearby fault trace (Han cock et al, 1999;Brogi et al, 2012), of es ti mat ing the age of tec tonic ac tiv ity (Sibson, 1987;Altunel and Han cock, 1993;Han cock et al, 1999;Brogi et al, 2010) or of the per me abil ity of faults and as so ci ated brit tle struc tures (Brogi, 2004(Brogi, , 2012) that played a role as con duits of flu ids (Cain et al, 1996;Sibson, 1996Sibson, , 2000.…”