Abstract
ABSTRACT We map the High Sillaro Valley, in the Northern Apennines of Italy. Here the Ligurian wedge overthrust the foredeep deposits of the Marnoso Arenacea formation – MA. The overthrusting occurred through a shear zone with components derived from the frontal part of the Ligurian wedge and interpreted as a tectonic mélange (Sestola-Vidiciatico Tectonic unit - SVU) here subdivided into two different subunits structurally independent one from the other. In the area, the Visignano chaotic body (VIS) constitutes an intercalation within the Serravallian-Tortonian MA and derives, as the SVU, from the frontal part of the Ligurian wedge. We performed a detailed investigation of the components of the VIS that helps to better define the architecture of the frontal part of the Ligurian wedge and to constrain the timing of the deformation phases affecting this portion of the Northern Apennines during the middle-late Miocene.
Highlights
The ‘Sillaro Line’, the northeastern segment of the ‘Livorno-Sillaro Line’ (Bortolotti, 1966; Ghelardoni, 1965; Nirta et al, 2007), is one of the most important transverse lineaments of the Northern Apennine (Italy) (Figure 1)
The Ligurian wedge –a former accretionary prism and its sedimentary cover – overthrusts onto the foreland deposits of the Adria plate here represented by the foredeep deposits of the Umbro-Marchean succession (Marnoso-Arenacea formation, Marnosa Arenacea formation (MA)) (Bruni, 1973; De Jager, 1979; Landuzzi, 2006) (Main Map, Figure 2)
The chaotic body has been considered as part of the Sestola-Vidiciatico Tectonic Unit (SVU) (Bettelli et al, 2012; Vannucchi et al, 2008 and references therein) and defined as a tectonic mélange composing the shear zone between the Ligurian wedge and the foreland deposits
Summary
The ‘Sillaro Line’, the northeastern segment of the ‘Livorno-Sillaro Line’ (Bortolotti, 1966; Ghelardoni, 1965; Nirta et al, 2007), is one of the most important transverse lineaments of the Northern Apennine (Italy) (Figure 1) In this area, the Ligurian wedge –a former accretionary prism (the Ligurian Units) and its sedimentary cover (the Epiligurian succession) – overthrusts onto the foreland deposits of the Adria plate here represented by the foredeep deposits of the Umbro-Marchean succession (Marnoso-Arenacea formation, MA) (Bruni, 1973; De Jager, 1979; Landuzzi, 2006) (Main Map, Figure 2). This is fundamental to better define the composition of the frontal part of the Ligurian wedge and to constrain the timing of the deformation of the area
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