Geological and structural evolution of tectonically active areas of the central Calabria Arc

Abstract

The Catanzaro Trough is a Neogene-Quaternary basin developed between the Serre and the Sila Massif, filled by up to 2000 m of Upper Miocene to Quaternary sedimentary succession, belonging to the central Calabrian Arc and extended from offshore, Sant’Eufemia Basin (SE Tyrrhenian Sea), to the onshore, Catanzaro Basin. By joining on land geo-structural with marine geophysical data, we performed a detailed analysis of processes that during last 5 My have controlled the evolution of western portion of the Catanzaro Trough. The fieldwork study, focused on the onshore area, has allowed to acquire more than 700 fault planes, classified on the base of kinematics and fault directions, whereas the geophysical data (sub-bottom, multi- and mono-channel seismic profiles), coming from some scientific cruises within the Sant’Eufemia Gulf (SE Tyrrhenian Sea), gave us the opportunity to reconstruct the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the offshore area. The combination amongst abrupt sea level changes, transpressional and trans/extensional tectonics and back-arc Tyrrhenian subsidence during SE-drifting of Calabrian Arc controlled sedimentary basin hosted by the Catanzaro Trough, as the result we have recognized three tectonic events formed in the Upper Miocene- Zanclean, Piacezian-Lower Pleistocene, and Middle-Upper Pleistocene. The data analysis provide information about stratigraphy and tectonics in the strata and also give some indication of the tectono-stratigraphic architecture. Sedimentary basin, in fact, looks to be mainly controlled by the activity of NW–SE and NE–SW oriented fault systems. The NW-SE oriented faults showing strike slip and oblique kinematics can be considered responsible for the opening of a WNW–ESE paleo-strait connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea during multi-phases tectonics that have acted in the study area since Miocene. The integrated geo-structural and geophysical data show a change from left-lateral to right-lateral kinematics during Piacezian-Lower Pleistocene, as the result of a change of the stress field. Since Middle Pleistocene, the study area experienced an extensional phase, WNWESE oriented, controlled mainly by NE-SW and subordinately N-S oriented normal faults, which split obliquely the western Catanzaro Trough, producing up-faulted and downfaulted blocks, arranged as graben-type systems, extending from onshore to offshore area. In agreement with and Jacques et al., (2001) and Presti et al., (2013), the NE-SW and NS trend normal faults play a relevant role as part of recent seismotectonic processes controlling the Late Quaternary geodynamic of the central Calabrian Arc, representing the source of the main destructive earthquakes occurred in the area. Thanks to these multidisciplinary approach we are able to provide a more reliable and detailed structural frame of the central Calabria segment, providing new elements about recent activity of faults, and giving a further contribution for the seismogenetic potential assessment of an area historically considered with the highest earthquake and tsunami risk throughout Italy.