Publication Date:
2022-03-16
Description:
Tectono-stratigraphic
interpretation and sequential restoration modelling was
performed over two high-resolution
seismic profiles crossing the Western Ionian
Basin of southern Italy. This analysis was undertaken in order to provide greater
insights and a more reliable assessment of the deformation rate affecting the area.
Offshore seismic profiling illuminates the sub-seafloor
setting where a belt of active
normal faults slice across the foot of the Malta Escarpment, a regional-scale
structural boundary inherited from the Permo-Triassic
palaeotectonic setting.
A sequential restoration workflow was established to back-deform
the entire
investigated sector with the primary aim of analysing the deformation history
of the three major normal faults affecting the area. Restoration of the tectono-stratigraphic
model reveals how deformation rates evolved through time. In the
early stage, the studied area experienced a significant deformation with the horizontal
component prevailing over the vertical element. In this context, the three
major faults contribute to only one third of the total deformation. The overall
throw and extension then notably reduced through time towards the present day
and, since the middle Pliocene, ongoing crustal deformation is accommodated
almost entirely by the three major normal faults. Unloading and decompaction
indicate that when compared to the unrestored seismic sections, a revision and
a reduction of roughly one third of the vertical displacement of the faults offset
is required. This analysis ultimately allows us to better understand the seismic
potential of the region.
Description:
Published
Description:
321-341
Description:
2T. Deformazione crostale attiva
Description:
JCR Journal
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
