Very high-resolution seismic stratigraphy of Pleistocene eustatic minima markers as a tool to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the northern Latium Shelf (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

This paper analyzes depth variations of seismically detected lowstand features (i.e., paleo-shelf break and lowstand submerged depositional terraces [LSDTs]), in order to define vertical movements along a continental margin. Narrowly spaced, high-resolution two-dimensional reflection seismic data we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2013-03, Vol.41 (3), p.375-378
Main Authors: Fraccascia, S, Chiocci, F. L, Scrocca, D, Falese, F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cenozoic
Comparative analysis
continental shelf
Deformation
Europe
geophysical methods
geophysical profiles
geophysical surveys
Isotopes
Italy
Latium Italy
lowstands
marine sediments
Mediterranean Sea
Plate tectonics
Quaternary
Quaternary geology
sea-level changes
sediments
seismic methods
seismic profiles
seismic stratigraphy
Southern Europe
Stratigraphy
surveys
tectonics
Tyrrhenian Sea
vertical movements
vertical seismic profiles
West Mediterranean
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Summary:This paper analyzes depth variations of seismically detected lowstand features (i.e., paleo-shelf break and lowstand submerged depositional terraces [LSDTs]), in order to define vertical movements along a continental margin. Narrowly spaced, high-resolution two-dimensional reflection seismic data were used, collected along a segment of the continental shelf of Latium (eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Seismostratigraphic analysis allowed us to identify the six most-recent fourth-order depositional sequences formed in the past ∼500 k.y. They have a different degree of preservation in the outer and middle shelf, with almost no continuation in the inner shelf. Some wedge-shaped bodies interpreted as LSDTs can be identified in these units. The depth of paleo-shelf break and LSDTs of marine isotope stage 12 (ca. 435 ka) was measured, and gradually varies along the margin between ∼220 m and ∼131 m below current sea level. Differential subsidence rates have been estimated for the area, varying from 0 to -0.21 mm/a. The spatial variations agree with studies of uplifted coastal terraces on land, controlled by localized volcanic activity along the Latium section of the Tyrrhenian coast. The comparison of deformation onshore and offshore has proven to be a promising approach for understanding the evolution of uplifting continental margins.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G33868.1