Morphotectonics of the Tasso Stream - Sagittario River valley (Central Apennines, Italy)

Abstract

This work presents the morphotectonic map of the Tasso Stream-Sagittario River valley, located in the Central Abruzzo area (Marsica region), in one of the areas of highest average elevation in the Apennines chain between two main intermontane basins (i.e. the Sulmona basin and Fucino basin). It is bounded by one of the main drainage divides of Central Italy, separating the Adriatic side of the Apennines from the large endorheic Fucino area. The morphotectonic map of the Sagittario River valley is the result of an geomorphological analysis of the drainage at the basin scale in Central Italy and incorporates three main sections: orography and hydrography (upper right on the map), the main morphotectonic map (center and left on the map), and the morphotectonic profile section (lower on the map). This map provides a basis for the recognition of morphotectonic features at the basin scale, the detection of tectonic vs. surface processes’ control on the landscape, and the reconstruction of the landscape evolution of the Sagittario gorges, one of the main gorges incising the carbonate ridges of the Apennines. It contributes to defining the main phases of the Quaternary landscape evolution of the inner mountain landscape of the Apennines, resulting from the combination of alternating morphotectonics (i.e. rock uplift and local tectonics) and surface processes (i.e. slope, karst, glacial and fluvial processes).