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Slab Retreat and Active Shortening Along The Central-Northern Apennines
Slab Retreat and Active Shortening Along The Central-Northern Apennines
Davide Scrocca (*), Eugenio Carminati (**), Carlo Doglioni (**) & Daiana Marcantoni (**)
* Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (CNR ), c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra,
Università La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
** Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Abstract
The Quaternary geodynamic evolution and the tectonic processes active along the Central and
Northern Apennines thrust fronts and in the adjacent Padane-Adriatic foredeep domains are
analysed and discussed.
A reinterpretation of the available geophysical and geological data reveals that the south-eastward
prolongation of the Apennines thrust front in the Adriatic Sea is most likely located along the north-
eastern side of the Adriatic ridge, i.e., in a more external position with respect to traditional
interpretations. Further south, the Apennine thrust front is segmented in correspondence with the
Tremiti lithospheric right-lateral transfer zone.
This new interpretation of the Apennine thrust front bears some relevant implications since it
rejuvenates to Late Quaternary the most recent contractional deformations in its Adriatic portion.
This is consistent with the Late Quaternary activity of the buried thrust-related folds associated with
the Apennine front along the Marche coastal belt and in the Po Plain documented by
geomorphological analysis and by seismic reflection profiles. Moreover, active shortening
associated with the Apennines accretionary prism in the Po Plain and in the central and northern
Adriatic Sea is documented by GPS data and by historical and instrumental seismicity.
The Quaternary evolution of one of the active thrust-related folds recognised in the Po Plain
subsurface (the Mirandola anticline) has been investigated in detail by backstripping high resolution
stratigraphic data. Our results show decreasing relative uplift rates during the Quaternary. However,
tectonic relative uplift rate of about 0.16 mm/a can still be recognised during the last 125 ka.
Horizontal shortening faster than 1 mm/a should be expected in agreement with available GPS data.
Furthermore, the SW-ward (or W-ward) increasing dip of the foreland monocline in the Po Plain
and in the central-northern Adriatic and the asymmetric distribution of the Quaternary to Recent
subsidence indicate a still active flexural retreat of the subducting lithosphere in these domains.
1
The Quaternary to Recent flexural retreat of the subducting Adriatic lithosphere and the related
frontal accretion of the Apennines prism are framed in a coherent geodynamic scenario
characterized by a retreating west directed subduction zone, which is the natural evolution of the
Neogene geodynamic history.
1.0 Introduction
The central and northern segments of Apennines accretionary prism - foredeep system are among
the most studied thrust belts worldwide. The buried geometries of the Northern Apennines frontal
thrust system were already nicely imaged below the Po Plain by seismic reflection data at the
beginning of the ‘80s (e.g., Pieri and Groppi, 1981; Pieri 1983). Since then, this structural
configuration has served as a classic example for thrust tectonics and growth strata studies (among
many others: Doglioni, 1993; Zoetemeijer et al. 1993, Doglioni and Prosser, 1997; Hardy et al.,
1996; Ford, 2004). Moreover, by analyzing the Adriatic foredeep domain, fundamental concepts
have been developed on the relationships between thrusting and sedimentation as, for instance, the
definition of piggyback basin (Ori and Friend, 1984).
The basic tectonic evolution of the Apennines thrust belt-foredeep system may be considered the
result of the late-Oligocene to Present NE-ward roll-back of a W directed slab (among many others:
Malinverno and Ryan, 1986; Royden et al., 1987; Doglioni, 1991; Patacca et al., 1990; Faccenna et
al., 2003). The subduction depth decreases moving from Calabria to the northern Apennines.
Moving along strike, the accretionary prism shows variable depth (3-10 km) of the frontal basal
décollement plane (Bigi et al., 2003; Lenci et al., 2004), and variable dip of the foreland regional
monocline (Mariotti and Doglioni, 2000). These structural undulations are related either to lateral
stratigraphic variations or to inherited Permo-Mesozoic structures (i.e., horst and grabens). The
Quaternary geodynamic evolution and the active tectonic processes are, however, still a matter of
debate. This scientific controversy provides an interesting opportunity to review and discuss some
general issues related to the tectonic evolution of thrust belt-foredeep systems.
Regarding the Central and Northern Apennines thrust front and adjacent Adriatic foredeep domains,
the main controversies regard the following points:
• the actual position of the south-eastward prolongation of the Apennine thrust front in central
Adriatic domain;
• the age of the most recent tectonic activity along the Apennine thrust front and its present-day
seismotectonic behaviour;
2
• the geodynamic processes responsible for the Quaternary subsidence of the Padane-Adriatic
domain.
In this paper, a review of the above issues is carried out. Based on the interpretation of both recently
acquired and already available seismic reflection profiles and well data, a new definition of the
Apennine thrust front is proposed together with an assessment of the natural subsidence of the
Padane-Adriatic region.
The Late Quaternary to Recent tectonic vitality of the Central and Northern Apennine thrust front is
discussed by comparing geological and geophysical evidences in Adriatic domain and in the Po
Plain. Moreover, the Quaternary evolution of one of the active thrust-related folds recognised in the
Po Plain subsurface (the Mirandola anticline) is investigated in detail by backstripping high
resolution stratigraphic data.
The proposed structural interpretation of the Apennine thrust front, its recent activity and
seismotectonic behaviour, and the Quaternary natural subsidence of the Padane-Adriatic domain are
finally framed in a coherent geodynamic scenario.
4
different localization of the Apennine thrust front with respect to the commonly accepted
interpretation (Fig. 4a).
It should be noted that the Central Adriatic Sea is characterised by the presence of a ridge, the so
called “Mid-Adriatic Ridge” (Finetti, 1982) also known as “Central Adriatic Deformation Belt”
(Argnani & Gamberi, 1995; Argnani & Frugoni, 1997), made up of structural highs, distributed
along a dominant NW-SE to WNW-ESE trend. This Adriatic ridge, well defined by the isobaths of
the base of the Plio-Pleistocene deposits (e.g., Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992), extends
south-eastward from the town of Ancona for at least 150 km in the central Adriatic Sea (Fig. 4).
The majority of these highs have been interpreted as thrust-related folds although evidence of salt
diapirism has been also recognised (e.g., Bally et al., 1986; Ori et al., 1986; De Alteriis, 1995;
Argnani & Frugoni, 1997; Calamita et al., 2003; Scrocca, 2006). Some structures combine both
compressional and salt tectonics (e.g., Bally et al., 1986).
The interpretation of the CROP M-15 seismic reflection data (Fig. 5), acquired within the
framework of the Italian deep crust exploration project (CROP Project; Scrocca et al., 2003),
integrated with a review of the multichannel seismic reflection profiles and well data available at
the Italian Ministry of Industry, provides a valuable contribution to improve the structural
description of the Adriatic ridge.
Some of the Adriatic ridge’s folds developed on pre-existing Mesozoic horsts and show seismic and
well evidence of tectonic inversion along pre-existing Mesozoic extensional faults at the end of the
Lower Cretaceous and in Tertiary times. The origin of the Cretaceous events has been related to the
onset of the convergence between Europe and Africa while the Tertiary tectonic inversions have
been attributed to far-field effects of the Apenninic and Dinaric compression or to diapirism (e.g.,
Argnani et al., 1993; De Alteriis, 1995; Gambini et al., 1997; Bertotti et al., 2001).
A main tectonic phase affected the Adriatic ridge in middle/late Pliocene-Quaternary, as clearly
demonstrated by the widespread occurrence of folded deposits and growth strata. Also this last
event has been interpreted by some Authors as the result of a thick-skinned tectonic inversion of
pre-existing extensional features induced by the Apennine compression (e.g., Argnani and Frugoni,
1997; Bertotti et al., 2001; Calamita et al., 2003). In this thick-skinned tectonic scenario, the reverse
faults in the Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary cover do not connect with the thin-skinned Apennine
thrust front, which is located farther west, but instead constitute local accommodation features (fish
tails) above reactivated high-angle normal faults involving the basement. If the basal detachments
accounting for the Adriatic ridge’s inversion features and for the western thin-skinned front were
connected farther west in the lower crust, the outermost reactivated and/or inverted structures might
5
be considered an example of the “reactivation front” as defined by Lacombe and Mouthereau
(1999).
However, the crustal structure of the Apennine accretionary wedge is still a debated issue (see
Scrocca et al., 2005 for a discussion) and, in fact, the geodynamic setting of the Apennine orogen as
a whole, when compared with other orogens world-wide, suggests that the accretionary prism
should be mainly formed by the tectonic stacking of the sedimentary cover (e.g., Doglioni et al.,
1999a, 1999b). Although the quality of the available seismic data in not resolutive, we do believe
that an alternative thin-skinned interpretation can be put forward in the central Adriatic domain. In
the proposed interpretation (Fig. 5), the main detachment of the last middle/late Pliocene-
Quaternary contractional deformations can be traced at the base of the Mesozoic sedimentary cover
(likely within the Upper Triassic evaporites). These late stage contractional deformations are thus
superimposed on the older Cretaceous and Tertiary inversions of basement-involving normal faults.
Moreover, in our opinion, this detachment can be followed westward and correlated with the
regional detachment of the Apennine accretionary prism (Fig. 4), as also already proposed by Bally
et al. (1986).
These considerations suggest that the actual Apennines external thrust front should be located on
the north-eastern side of the Adriatic compressive belt that, accordingly, should be formally
included in the Apennine accretionary wedge. In the proposed interpretation, the Apennine thrust
front should not to be regarded as a continuous feature but rather as the envelopment of discrete
thrust structures.
Further southward, the Apennines thrust front is segmented in correspondence with the Tremiti
lithospheric transfer zone (Fig. 3), which separates two sectors of the subducting Adriatic plate
characterised by different amounts of flexural retreat (Doglioni et al., 1994) and by different amount
of thrust front advance (Scrocca, 2006).
4.0 Quaternary tectonic activity along the Central and Northern Apennines thrust front
Along the Central and Northern Apennines thrust front the last main events of thrust accretion
occurred between Pliocene and Early Pleistocene times (e.g., Castellarin et al. 1985; Bally et al.,
1986; Ori et al., 1986), these processes being related to the eastward flexure-hinge retreat of the
subducting Adriatic lithosphere.
According to a first group of researchers, following a major geodynamic change, thrusting and
related folding at the front of the Apennines ceased in Early Pleistocene times both in the Po Plain
and in the adjacent sector of the Adriatic Sea (e.g., Argnani et al., 1997; Bertotti et al., 1997; Di
6
Bucci & Mazzoli, 2002; Argnani et al., 2003 and reference therein). This conclusion is derived from
both field studies and seismic reflection lines that, in the interpretation of these authors, show
thrusts sealed by Middle Pleistocene to recent deposits.
An alternative scenario has been proposed. Geomorphological analyses, subsurface geology,
seismicity and present day stress field, suggest that the tectonic activity of the frontal part of the
Northern Apennine accretionary wedge is still going on (e.g., Meletti et al., 2000; Valensise &
Pantosti, 2001; Burrato et al., 2003; Boccaletti et al., 2004 and references therein).
In the following the two conflicting interpretations will be briefly reviewed and compared with the
results of our analysis.
9
assumes the exponential porosity-depth relation φ = φ 0 exp − cy , where φ is the porosity at depth y,
φ0 is the original porosity of sediments and c is an experimentally derived coefficient. The original
porosities and the decompaction coefficients adopted for the calculations are shown in table 1.
In our calculation we have performed both backstripping to 1D sedimentary columns, a technique
widely adopted in literature (e.g., Scheck & Bayer, 1999) and 2D section by mean of LithoTect
software. At each decompaction time-step the depth of the basement and of the overlying sediments
is calculated summing the thicknesses of deposited sediments and adopting corrections for
paleobathymetry and eustasy. Theoretically, the corrected depth of a layer (Dlc) is calculated
following the relation Dlc = Dl + Dw − E , where Dl is the uncorrected layer depth (derived only from
the thickness of deposited sediments), Dw is the paleobathymetry and E is the relative eustatic
change of sea level.
In our calculations paleobathymetries and eustatic sea level changes are assumed to be equal to
zero, since the entire sequence was deposited in shallow marine to continental environments (AGIP,
1959). In other words, after decompaction the tops of the calculated sedimentary columns are
located at the zero reference level, i.e., at the average sea level, throughout the entire analysed
structure. However, the occurrence of a thick (up to 500 m) tabular unit with prograding clinoforms
in the shallow part of the considered succession (Pieri, 1983) implies that processes of basin filling
(i.e. the occurrence of moderate paleobathymetries) must also be considered.
The assumption of zero water depth is granted for the middle Pleistocene (ca. 600.000 yr ago) to
Present sediments, which were deposited in continental environments. The error on subsidence rates
calculated for this period due to assumed paleo-water depth is necessarily equal to zero. For the
lower Pleistocene sediments, deposited in shallow water, the zero paleobathymetry assumption
bears consequences on the calculated subsidence rates, i.e., on the depth of the basement at a certain
stage. However, as sketched in figure 9, when calculating the relative uplift along the Mirandola
anticline, we compare the depth of the basement at the crest of the anticline and in the adjacent
syncline. Since the basement position at the two locations would be affected exactly by the same
error induced by our paleobathymetric assumption, it is clear that the resulting relative uplift is by
no means affected by imposed paleobathymetry.
Sensitivity analysis has been carried out varying the lithological composition, although the available
geological data indicates an overall 50% shale and 50% sand ratio.
Moreover, the effects of the original porosities φ0 were evaluated. A change of 10% of φ0
determines a change of 2.5% of the calculated uplift rates.
The resulting rates of tectonic uplift decrease during the last 1.4 Ma from values of 0.53 mm/a to
values of 0.16 mm/a (Fig. 10a). This means that the Mirandola anticline is still active today,
10
although it moves more slowly than in Pliocene. Anyway, these tectonic uplift rates must be added
to a regional subsidence rate of about 1 mm/a, or more (discussed in the following section),
resulting in an overall subsidence.
Quaternary sedimentation rates corrected for compaction have been also assessed (Fig. 10b) by
simply dividing the decompacted thickness of sediments for the corresponding time interval in the
syncline adjacent to the Mirandola anticline.
11
However, the distribution of the Pleistocene to Recent subsidence rates both in the Po Plain and in
the Northern Adriatic domain (Carminati & Di Donato, 1999; Carminati et al., 2003) show a clear
subsidence increase moving from the foreland towards the buried thrust front (Fig. 11). Recent and
asymmetric (faster to the southwest) subsidence is also testified by stratigraphic and geodetic
measurements in the whole Po Basin, which is at places below sea-level (Carminati and Martinelli,
2002). Quaternary sedimentation rates in the Po plain can be reasonably assumed to be equal to
subsidence rates, since the entire sequence was deposited in shallow marine to continental
environments. The obtained subsidence rates range between 0 and 2.5 mm/a, with the largest rates
(greater than 1 mm/a) occurring in the southern part of the Po Plain and in the Po Delta. As an
example, a significant part of the long term natural component of the subsidence of Venice (about
0.7-1.0 mm/a) has been related to the north-eastward retreat of the Adriatic subduction (Carminati
et al., 2003).
Mean Pleistocene subsidence rates in the Po Basin are comparable to those of other parts of the
Apennines foredeep (e.g., the Pescara Basin to the south along the Adriatic coast; Colantoni et al.,
1989) where large deltas do not occur.
Moreover, the late Pliocene-Quaternary propagation of the Apennine thrust front in the central
Adriatic, and the related development of the Adriatic ridge’s folds, strongly influenced the
distribution of the Quaternary deposits (post 1.4 Ma), which show two main depocenters (Fig. 3;
Dondi et al., 1985; Bartolini et al., 1996). The first sub-basin, at the eastern edge of the Peascara
Basin, mainly develop during the Early Pleistocene while the second one, located at the SE edge of
the Po Plain basin (i.e., NE with respect to the Adriatic ridge), is characterised by a subsidence
maximum in Late Quaternary time (e.g., Calamita et al., 2003).
The asymmetric distribution of the Quaternary subsidence in the Po Plain and in the central-
northern Adriatic Sea, and the SW- or W-ward increasing dip of the foreland monocline, suggests a
Quaternary-Present flexural retreat of the subducting lithosphere in these domains. The deepest
depocenters of the Apennines foredeep tend to match inherited Permo-Mesozoic basins (e.g.,
Lombard basin, Belluno basin, Umbro-Marchigiano basin, etc.) where the accretionary prism forms
salients. These pre-existing features are usually accompanied by subduction-related steeper foreland
regional monocline, and the foredeep basin frequently develops on top of the prism (i.e., top-thrust
or piggyback basin).
12
6.0 Discussion and conclusion
14
and may be considered still lively in both the Po Plain and the Central-Northern Adriatic domain,
north of the Tremiti lineament (Fig. 6).
In the northern Apennines, the instrumental seismicity at depth of about 20-30 km (Chiarabba et al.,
2005), mainly represented by compressional events (Boccaletti et al., 2004; Eva et al., 2005), might
relate to the south-western prolongation of the active thrust, developed along the morphological
boundary between the Apennines and the Po Plain (Fig. 7). Above this thrust, the seismicity is
mainly characterised by extensional events (Boccaletti et al., 2004; Eva et al., 2005).
As a consequence, a large scale gravity driven tectonic interpretation of the Northern Apennines
(e.g., Argnani et al. 1997; 2003), a model that has been developed for a different class of orogens,
do not seem compatible with the vertical juxtaposition of a zone of shallow extensional earthquakes
above deeper compressional events. Rather, the proposed structural interpretation, the present-day
stress fields and seismicity, and the quaternary natural subsidence could be framed in a coherent
geodynamic scenario characterized by a retreating west directed subduction zone, which represents
the natural evolution of the preceding Neogene geodynamic history.
Acknowledgements
Discussions with Leigh Royden, Federica Lenci, and Sabina Bigi were very helpful. François Roure
an two anonymous reviewer are thanked for constructive criticism. We are grateful to the Geo-
Logic System LLC for making available the LithoTect software. Research supported by CNR
(PTA11011: Struttura crostale ed evoluzione geodinamica della penisola italiana - Partecipazione al
Progetto CROP).
15
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Figure Captions
Fig. 1 – Main structural features of Italy (modified from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992).
Foredeep deposits are delimited by the -1000 m isobath. MA = Monferrato Arc; EA = Emilia
Arc; FRA = Ferrara Romagna Arc; AF = Adriatic Folds; AR = Adriatic ridge; PB = Pescara
Basin; TF = Tremiti Fault; MF = Mattinata Fault.
Fig. 2 – Schematic cross-section of an orogen due to a W-directed retreating subduction zone
(modified after Doglioni et al., 1999a). The shear between the down-going and retreating
lithosphere and the eastward compensating mantle is transferred upward, generating the
shortening within the accretionary wedge.
Fig. 3 – Epicentral map of the instrumental seismicity recorded between 1985 and 2000 (data after
Chiarabba et al., 2005) and representative focal mechanism along the Apennine front
(solutions after Harward CMT Catalogue; MedNet regional CMT; Gasparini et al., 1985;
Riguzzi et al., 1989; Vannucci et al., 2004). The simplified isobaths of the base of the
Quaternary deposits are traced according to Dondi et al. (1985) and Bartolini et al. (1996).
Fig. 4 – a) Structural map of the central Adriatic. The grey-dashed line highlights the commonly
accepted position of the external front of the Apennine accretionary prism according to the
Structural-Kinematic Map of Italy (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992). Thick line
identifies the regional cross section shown in figure 4b. Box indicates the CROP M-15
seismic profile shown in figures 5. b) Geological section across the Apennine thrust front and
the Adriatic ridge. Western part modified after Montefalcone and Scisciani (2005), eastern
part based on seismic profile CROP M-15. The main detachment of the middle/late Pliocene-
Quaternary contractional deformations affecting the Adriatic ridge (likely located within the
Upper Triassic evaporites) is correlated with the regional detachment of the Apennine
accretionary prism.
Fig. 5 – CROP M-15 seismic profile (location in figure 4). Interpreted horizons are solid where well
constrained, dashed where approximate, and dotted where speculative. Four structural highs
are recognisable on this profile (labelled from A to D); two of them (A and C) can be
interpreted as thrust related folds with the main detachment likely located within the Upper
Triassic evaporites. A diapir (D) is also recognisable. The last phase of tectonic activity of the
Adriatic ridge (late Pliocene-late Quaternary) can be related to the forelandward propagation
of the Apennines detachment. The associated shortening could have enhanced the diapir
activity.
Fig. 6 – Tectonic scheme of the Adriatic domain and cartoon showing the 3D slab geometry of the
subducting Apulo-Adriatic plate (inset, modified after Doglioni et al., 1994). The Apennine
21
thrust front is located on the NE side of the Adriatic ridge. The differential slab retreat
between the central and southern sectors of the subducting Adriatic plate has been
accompanied by a different tectonic evolution of the related segments of the accretionary
prism that ended up with a segmentation of the Apennine thrust front.
Fig. 7 – Simplified geological cross-section showing the relationships between subsurface structure
(after Pieri, 1983), interpreted geodynamic setting (after Carminati et al., 2003) and the
seismicity (after Chiarabba et al., 2005). Location in figure 3. Note that the deep seismicity
between 20 and 30 km is mainly represented by compressional events (Boccaletti et al., 2004;
Eva et al., 2005) and may be related to the south-western prolongation of the active thrust,
developed along the morphological boundary between the Apennines and the Po Plain. The
area above is mainly affected by extensional seismicity.
Fig. 8 – Data used in the decompaction procedure to estimate uplift rates of the Mirandola thrust-
related fold. Location in figure 3. a) simplified geological cross-section (drawn after Pieri and
Groppi, 1981 and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1992). b) stratigraphic setting of the
Middle Pleistocene to Recent section based on high resolution stratigraphic data (modified
after RER & ENI-AGIP, 1998).
Fig. 9 –Decompaction procedure adopted to estimate a tectonic “relative uplift rates” (ΔZTECT)
between the fold crest (X2) and the adjacent syncline (X1) at different time steps (t0, t1, t2,
ect.).
Fig. 10 – Mirandola anticline: uplift rates (a) corrected and uncorrected for compaction during the
last 1.4 Ma and corrected sedimentation rates (b). Based on the cross-section of figure 8,
uplift rates have been evaluated on the anticline crest while sedimentation rates have been
estimated in the adjacent syncline. Compactable layers include Miocene while, according to
available geological data, lithology is assumed to be 50% shale and 50 % shale.
Fig. 11 – Schematic profile across the Apennines, Po Basin and Venetian area, showing the
curvature of the Adriatic plate in the foreland of the Apennines, associated to the slab retreat.
Profile location is shown in figure 6. Subsidence rates, taken from Carminati & Di Donato
(1999), along the profile trace are also shown (solid line in the graph). Notice that the regular
subsidence trend due to subduction retreat is perturbed by thrust tectonics.
Fig. 12 - Assuming a steady slip on a thrust surface (above), a sea-level drop triggers larger
volumes of sediment supply into the foredeep (bottom left), determining a smaller apparent
fault throw (bottom right), due to the expansion of the chronostratigraphic
thickness.
Table 1 – Decompaction coefficients, porosities, and densities adopted for the calculations.
22
Fig. 1
23
Fig. 2
24
Fig. 3
25
Fig. 4
26
Fig. 5
27
Fig. 6
28
Fig. 7
29
Fig. 8
30
Fig. 9
31
Lithology c φ ρ Reference
Sclater and
Sand 0.27 0.49 2650 Christie (1980)
Sclater and
Shale 0.51 0.63 2720 Christie (1980)
Sclater and
Shaley sand 0.39 0.56 2680 Christie (1980)
Tab. 1
32
Fig. 10
33
Fig. 11
34
Fig. 12
35