From compression to extension during the Sicily chain building

Abstract

Kinematics of mountain belts is often very difficult to decipher. Main problems consist in the linkage between different stages of deformation which define the chain building, their significance in the context of lithospheric evolution dominate by plate collision and the interaction with previous structures recorded in the rocks. Also, the overprinting of structures developing later with respect to the chain building may further makes complicate the way to unravel the tectonic evolution of the wedge. In Sicily belt, located in the Central Mediterranean, the regional pattern and the tectonic evolution are described using structural analysis of small-scale structures in selected outcrops. The geometric differences existing between some types of structures within the belt allow to delineate the timing of deformations during chain building.