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Scrocca, D.
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- PublicationOpen AccessRecent tectonic reorganization of the Nubia-Eurasia convergent 2 boundary heading for the closure of the western Mediterranean(2011-01)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Billi, A.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR ;Faccenna, C.; Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Università Roma Tre ;Bellier, O.; Université Paul Cézanne, Aix-Marseille Université, IRD ;Minelli, L.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia ;Neri, G.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Messina ;Piromallo, C.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia ;Presti, D.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Messina ;Scrocca, D.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR ;Serpelloni, E.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia; ; ; ; ; ; ;; : In the western Mediterranean area, after a long period (late Paleogene-Neogene) of Nubian northward subduction beneath Eurasia, subduction is almost ceased as well as convergence accommodation in the subduction zone. With the progression of Nubia-Eurasia convergence, a tectonic reorganization is therefore necessary to accommodate future contraction. Previously-published tectonic, seismological, geodetic, tomographic, and seismic reflection data (integrated by some new GPS velocity data) are reviewed to understand the reorganization of the convergent boundary in the western Mediterranean. Between northern Morocco, to the west, and northern Sicily, to the east, contractional deformation has shifted from the former subduction zone to the margins of the two backarc oceanic basins (Algerian-Liguro-Provençal and Tyrrhenian basins) and it is now active in the south-Tyrrhenian (northern Sicily), northern Liguro-Provençal, Algerian, and Alboran (partly) margins. Compression and basin inversion has propagated in a scissor-like manner from the Alboran (c. 8 Ma) to the Tyrrhenian (younger than c. 2 Ma) basins following a similar propagation of the subduction cessation and slab breakoff, i.e., older to the west and younger to the east. It follows that basin inversion is rather advanced in the Algerian margin, where a new southward subduction seems to be in its very infant stage, while it has still to properly start in the Tyrrhenian margin, where contraction has resumed at the rear of the fold-thrust belt and may soon invert the Marsili oceanic basin. GPS-derived strain rates higher in the Tyrrhenian margin than in the Algerian boundary suggest that this latter manner of contraction accommodation (contraction resumption at the rear of the orogenic wedge) is more efficient than subduction inception and basin inversion along newly-generated reverse faults (Algeria), but the differential strain rates may also be explained with the heterogeneous distribution of GPS stations. Part of the contractional deformation may have shifted toward the north in the Liguro-Provençal basin possibly because of its weak rheological properties compared with the area between Tunisia and Sardinia, where no oceanic crust occurs and seismic deformation is absent or limited compared with the adjacent strands of the Nubia-Eurasia boundary. The tectonic reorganization of the Nubia-Eurasia boundary in the study area is still strongly controlled by the inherited tectonic fabric and rheological attributes, which are both discontinuous and non-cylindrical along the boundary. These features prevent, at present, the development of long and continuous thrust faults. In an extreme and approximate synthesis, the evolution of the western Mediterranean is inferred as being similar to a Wilson Cycle in the following main steps: (1) northward Nubian subduction with Mediterranean backarc extension (since ~35 Ma); (2) progressive cessation, from west to east, of Nubian main subduction (since ~15 Ma); (3) progressive compression, from west to east, in the former backarc domain and consequent basin inversion (since ~8-10 Ma); (4) possible future subduction of former backarc basins.570 1287 - PublicationOpen AccessTransfer zones in an oblique back-arc basin setting: Insights from the Latium-Campania segmented margin (Tyrrhenian Sea)(2017)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ;; ; ;New multichannel seismic reflection profiles were acquired to unravel the structure of a portion of the eastern margin of the Tyrrhenian basin. This extensional feature is part of an Oligocene to Present back-arc basin in the hangingwall of the west directed Apennines subduction system. The basin provides excellent conditions to investigate the early stage processes leading to the development of rifted passive margins and to the emplacement of oceanic crust in an oblique setting. The interpreted post-stack-migrated seismic profiles highlight the geometry and kinematics of the Pontine escarpment that connects the Latium-Campania continental margin to the Vavilov basin. The latter is the main feature of the area, related to the early Pliocene extension of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Several morphological variations are pointed out along strike, mirroring different structural settings of the margin itself: a steeper margin to the north corresponds to high-angle possibly transtensional faults, whereas a smooth slope in the southern portion corresponds to several more distributed listric faults. This work contributes to the understanding of the interplay between extensional and transtensional tectonics along the margins of an oblique back-arc basin.357 254 - PublicationRestrictedOn the geodynamics of the northern Adriatic plate(2010-12-01)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Cuffaro, M.; DipartiIstituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (IGAG), CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, PO Box 11, 00185 Rome, Italy ;Riguzzi, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia ;Scrocca, D.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (IGAG), CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, PO Box 11, 00185 Rome, Italy ;Antonioli, F.; ENEA, Casaccia, Rome, Italy ;Carminati, E.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, Rome, Italy ;Livani, M.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, Rome, Italy ;Doglioni, C.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, Rome, Italy; ; ; ;; ; The northern Adriatic plate underwent Permian-Mesozoic rifting and was later shortened by three orogenic belts (i.e., Apennines, Alps and Dinarides) developed along three independent subduction zones. The inherited Mesozoic horst and graben grain determined structural undulations of the three thrust belts. Salients developed in grabens or more shaly basins, whereas recesses formed regularly around horsts. A new interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, subsidence rates from stratigraphic analysis, and GPS data prove that the three orogens surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are still active. The NE-ward migration of the Apennines subduction hinge determines the present-day faster subsidence rate in the western side of the northern Adriatic (>1 mm/year). This is recorded also by the SW-ward dip of the foreland regional monocline, and the SW-ward increase of the depth of the Tyrrhenian sedimentary layer, as well as the increase in thickness of the Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments. These data indicate the dominant influence of the Apennines subduction, which controls the asymmetric subsidence in the northern Adriatic realm. The Dinarides front has been tilted by the Apennines subduction hinge, as shown by the eroded Dalmatian anticlines subsiding in the eastern Adriatic Sea. GPS data suggest that southward tilting of the western and central Southern Alps, whereas the eastern Southern Alps are uplifting. The obtained strain rates are on average within 20 nstrain/year. The horizontal shortening obtained from GPS velocities at the front of the three belts surrounding the northern Adriatic plate are about 2–3 mm/year (Northern Apennines), 1–2 mm/year (Southern Alps), and <1 mm/year (Dinarides). The shortening directions tend to be perpendicular to the thrust belt fronts. The areas where the strain rate sharply decreases along a tectonic feature (e.g., the Ferrara salient, the Venetian foothills front) are proposed to be occupied by locked structures where stress is accumulating in the brittle layer and thus seismically prone. Finally, we speculate that, since the effects of three independent subduction zones coexist and overlap in the same area, plate boundaries are passive features.385 37 - PublicationRestrictedGeochemical Barriers in CO2 Capture and Storage Feasibility Studies(2015-01)
; ; ; ; ; ; ;Cantucci, B.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia ;Montegrossi, G.; CNR - IGG, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy ;Buttinelli, M.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia ;Vaselli, O.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy ;Scrocca, D.; CNR - IGAG, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy ;Quattrocchi, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia; ; ; ; ; CO2 sequestration in geological formations requires specific conditions to safely store this greenhouse gas underground. Different geological reservoirs can be used for this purpose, although saline aquifers are one of the most promising targets due to both their worldwide availability and storing capacity. Nevertheless, geochemical processes and fluid flow properties are to be assessed pre-, during, and post-injection of CO2. Theoretical calculations carried out by numerical geochemical modeling play an important role to understand the fate of CO2 and to investigate short-to-long-term consequences of CO2 storage into deep saline reservoirs. In this paper, the injection of CO2 in a deep structure located offshore in the Tyrrhenian Sea (central Italy) was simulated. The results of a methodological approach for evaluating the impact that CO2 has in a saline aquifer hosted in Mesozoic limestone formations were discussed. Seismic reflection data were used to develop a reliable 3D geological model, while 3D simulations of reactive transport were performed via the TOUGHREACT code. The simulation model covered an area of >100 km2 and a vertical cross-section of >3 km, including the trapping structure. Two simulations, at different scales, were carried out to depict the local complex geological system and to assess: (i) the geochemical evolution at the reservoir–caprock interface over a short time interval, (ii) the permeability variations close to the CO2 plume front, and (iii) the CO2 path from the injection well throughout the geological structure. One of the most important results achieved in this study was the formation of a geochemical barrier as CO2-rich acidic waters flowed into the limestone reservoir.432 35 - PublicationRestrictedThe tectonic puzzle of the Messina area (Southern Italy): Insights from new seismic reflection data(2012-12)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Doglioni, C.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;Ligi, M.; Istituto di Scienze Marine, CNR, Bologna ;Scrocca, D.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;Bigi, S.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;Bortoluzzi, G.; Istituto di Scienze Marine, CNR, Bologna ;Carminati, E.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;Cuffaro, M.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR, c/o Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;D' Oriano, F.; Istituto di Scienze Marine, CNR, Bologna ;Forleo, V.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a Sapienza, Roma ;Muccini, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia ;Riguzzi, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; The Messina Strait, that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, is one of the most seismically active areas of the Mediterranean. The structure and seismotectonic setting of the region are poorly understood, although the area is highly populated and important infrastructures are planned there. New seismic reflection data have identified a number of faults, as well as a crustal scale NE-trending anticline few km north of the strait. These features are interpreted as due to active right-lateral transpression along the north-eastern Sicilian offshore, coexisting with extensional and right-lateral transtensional tectonics in the southern Messina Strait. This complex tectonic network appears to be controlled by independent and overlapping tectonic settings, due to the presence of a diffuse transfer zone between the SE-ward retreating Calabria subduction zone relative to slab advance in the western Sicilian side.245 113 - PublicationRestrictedCoexisting tectonic settings: the example of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea(2011)
; ; ; ; ;Cuffaro, M.; MOX—Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy ;Riguzzi, F.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione CNT, Roma, Italia ;Scrocca, D.; Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR, Rome, Italy ;Doglioni, C.; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Universita` di Roma, Rome, Italy; ; ; We performed geodetic strain rate analyses in southern Italy, using new GPS velocities. Two-dimensional strain and rotation rate fields were estimated and results show that most of the shortening is distributed in the northern Sicily offshore. Extension becomes more evident and comparable with shortening on the eastern side of the same margin, and greater in the eastern Sicily offshore. Principal shortening and extension rate axes are consistent with longterm geological features: seismic reflection profiles show both active compressive and extensional faults affecting Pleistocene strata. We show evidence for contemporaneous extension and transtension in the Cefalu` Basin. Combining geodetic data and geological features point to the coexistence of independent geodynamic processes, i.e., the active E–W backarc spreading in the hangingwall of the Apennines subduction zone and shortening along the southern margin of the Tyrrhenian backarc basin operated by the NNW-motion of Africa relative to Eurasia.314 27