This study investigates the geometry of the crust-mantle boundary along the Northern Apennines (Italy) and its relationship to the tectonic evolution of a retreating subduction system. Using receiver function analysis from teleseismic records, the Moho depth was computed beneath 26 seismic stations located in key positions along the orogen. The results show a relatively shallow (~ 20 km) Moho in the Tyrrhenian side, as expected from an extended overriding plate, and a deeper Moho (~ 40 km) in the subducted Adriatic plate, SW-dipping 15-45° beneath the chain. Stations deployed on the Northeastern edge of the Plio-Quaternary extensional basins provide maximum Moho depth estimates, thus supporting the hypothesis that these basins define the zone where the two plates separate at depth. In addition, an abrupt change in the Moho depth is recognized along strike of the orogen, attributed to a 45 km-wide, trench-normal deformation zone that crosses the Northern Apennines in the proximity of the Livorno-Sillaro lineament. This zone is interpreted as an incipient lithospheric tear fault, which accommodates varying rates of trench retreat along the length of the subduction zone.

Piana Agostinetti, N. (2015). The structure of the Moho in the Northern Apennines: Evidence for an incipient slab tear fault?. TECTONOPHYSICS, 655, 88-96 [10.1016/j.tecto.2015.05.013].

The structure of the Moho in the Northern Apennines: Evidence for an incipient slab tear fault?

Piana Agostinetti, N
2015

Abstract

This study investigates the geometry of the crust-mantle boundary along the Northern Apennines (Italy) and its relationship to the tectonic evolution of a retreating subduction system. Using receiver function analysis from teleseismic records, the Moho depth was computed beneath 26 seismic stations located in key positions along the orogen. The results show a relatively shallow (~ 20 km) Moho in the Tyrrhenian side, as expected from an extended overriding plate, and a deeper Moho (~ 40 km) in the subducted Adriatic plate, SW-dipping 15-45° beneath the chain. Stations deployed on the Northeastern edge of the Plio-Quaternary extensional basins provide maximum Moho depth estimates, thus supporting the hypothesis that these basins define the zone where the two plates separate at depth. In addition, an abrupt change in the Moho depth is recognized along strike of the orogen, attributed to a 45 km-wide, trench-normal deformation zone that crosses the Northern Apennines in the proximity of the Livorno-Sillaro lineament. This zone is interpreted as an incipient lithospheric tear fault, which accommodates varying rates of trench retreat along the length of the subduction zone.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Apennines; Crustal structure; Slab deformation; Subduction zones
English
2015
655
88
96
reserved
Piana Agostinetti, N. (2015). The structure of the Moho in the Northern Apennines: Evidence for an incipient slab tear fault?. TECTONOPHYSICS, 655, 88-96 [10.1016/j.tecto.2015.05.013].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/340798
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