Abstract
A closely spaced set of high-resolution Chirp-Sonar and Sparker profiles and swath bathymetric data was acquired in 2013 for the I-AMICA Project off the Volturno River mouth (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) by the Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero (IAMC), National Research Council of Italy (CNR). The palaeo-topography of three key surfaces, represented by the bounding surfaces of the post-glacial lithosomes, was mapped by the interpolation of seismically detected reflectors. The morphology of the surface related to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) regression revealed the presence of fault linkages which defined a small-scale accommodation zone with an E–W trending interbasinal relative high. The observed set of oppositely dipping faults, NNW- and ENE-directed, locally controlled the deposition of the paralic/deltaic bodies during the post-glacial rise in sea level, as testified by their wedge-shaped geometries and shifting depocentres. The deformation may be linked to the Campi Flegrei caldera collapse following the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) eruption and aged 15 ka BP. The relevant thickness of the Transgressive System Tract (TST) testifies to an increased sediment yield and intense reworking in coastal areas, probably driven by the high volcanoclastic supply during volcanic paroxysm, almost coeval with the post-glacial transgression. Fluid escape features linked to an E–W striking fluid front at the outer shelf suggest the presence of an hydrothermal system controlled by the predominant direction of normal to oblique Quaternary-active faults and by lithologic discontinuities across the sedimentary pile.
Highlights
The stratigraphical architecture of continental shelf deposits reflects the morphodynamic activity of the offshore deltaic system, constituting an ideal laboratory to investigate the complex interplay among fluvial inputs, glacioeustatic fluctuations, and tectonics
We present a high-resolution Chirp-Sonar and Sparker seismic dataset along the Campania continental margin to interpret avulsion processes, fluid venting features, and anomalous thickness of the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene transgressive lithosomes in a more comprehensive regional structural framework
The late Quaternary evolution of the northern Campania continental shelf was affected by the emplacement of magmatic bodies, degassing features, and minor faulting
Summary
The stratigraphical architecture of continental shelf deposits reflects the morphodynamic activity of the offshore deltaic system, constituting an ideal laboratory to investigate the complex interplay among fluvial inputs, glacioeustatic fluctuations, and tectonics. Local uplift, and inherited topographic features are often triggering factors for a delta lobe to avulse [1,2] and may be directly inferred from facies distribution, lateral extent, and thickness of the deltaic deposits. Modern continental shelves offer the opportunity to observe and map the presence of gas in shallow water sediments [3,4,5]. Geosciences 2018, 8, 121 of thermal fluids could have an effect in decreasing methane solubility, allowing the formation of gas bubbles and fluid-venting structures [5]. We present a high-resolution Chirp-Sonar and Sparker seismic dataset along the Campania continental margin to interpret avulsion processes, fluid venting features, and anomalous thickness of the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene transgressive lithosomes in a more comprehensive regional structural framework. A very large dataset, derived from subsurface exploration of the Campania and Latium margin performed in the past decades [6,7,8,9], may serve as a stratigraphic reference for our purposes
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