The Crotone Basin is the exposed part of a larger Neogene forearc basin developed in the Ionian Sea in theframe of the SE-ward migration of the Calabrian Arc, which led to the subduction of the Ionian lithosphereand the spreading of the Tyrrhenian back-arc Basin (central Mediterranean). Taking into account the geologiccontext that accompanied its accumulation, the Plio-Pleistocene part of the Crotone Basin succession isexceptionally well preserved, and consists of a suite of continental, paralic, shallow-marine anddeep-marine deposits organized to form unconformity bounded stratal units that in turn compose twomain tectono-stratigraphic cycles. The unconformities separating these units are well recognizable alongthe basin margin and tend to vanish basinwards, and they record phases of basin reorganization linked tolarge-scale tectonics. In particular, the basin evolution was characterized by a cyclic pattern consisting ofan alternation between longer subsidence phases, that favored the accumulation of stratal units, and upliftphases that led to base-level falls and the generation of unconformities. These phases were strictly relatedto an alternation between active subduction of the Ionian lithosphere below the Calabrian Arc, accompaniedby the spreading of the Tyrrhenian back-arc Basin and by extension and subsidence in the forearc basin, andregional-scale compressional and transpressional events, during which the Arc migration temporarilystopped. The younger uplift of the basin, started during middle Pleistocene and still active, was characterizedby extensional tectonics, and its interplay with glacio-eustasy controlled the formation of marine terraces.Since the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic episodes affecting the Calabrian Arc during its SE-ward migration seemto be all recorded in the Crotone Basin, the recognition of their effects on the basin fill and their time constraintbecome both critical, representing a reference to develop a clearer picture on the complex evolutionof the central Mediterranean.
The Plio-Pleistocene evolution of the Crotone Basin (southern Italy): Interplay between sedimentation, tectonics and eustasy in the frame of Calabrian Arc migration
CRITELLI, Salvatore;MUTO, Francesco;
2012-01-01
Abstract
The Crotone Basin is the exposed part of a larger Neogene forearc basin developed in the Ionian Sea in theframe of the SE-ward migration of the Calabrian Arc, which led to the subduction of the Ionian lithosphereand the spreading of the Tyrrhenian back-arc Basin (central Mediterranean). Taking into account the geologiccontext that accompanied its accumulation, the Plio-Pleistocene part of the Crotone Basin succession isexceptionally well preserved, and consists of a suite of continental, paralic, shallow-marine anddeep-marine deposits organized to form unconformity bounded stratal units that in turn compose twomain tectono-stratigraphic cycles. The unconformities separating these units are well recognizable alongthe basin margin and tend to vanish basinwards, and they record phases of basin reorganization linked tolarge-scale tectonics. In particular, the basin evolution was characterized by a cyclic pattern consisting ofan alternation between longer subsidence phases, that favored the accumulation of stratal units, and upliftphases that led to base-level falls and the generation of unconformities. These phases were strictly relatedto an alternation between active subduction of the Ionian lithosphere below the Calabrian Arc, accompaniedby the spreading of the Tyrrhenian back-arc Basin and by extension and subsidence in the forearc basin, andregional-scale compressional and transpressional events, during which the Arc migration temporarilystopped. The younger uplift of the basin, started during middle Pleistocene and still active, was characterizedby extensional tectonics, and its interplay with glacio-eustasy controlled the formation of marine terraces.Since the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic episodes affecting the Calabrian Arc during its SE-ward migration seemto be all recorded in the Crotone Basin, the recognition of their effects on the basin fill and their time constraintbecome both critical, representing a reference to develop a clearer picture on the complex evolutionof the central Mediterranean.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
