Abstract
High-resolution seismic reflection, magnetic and gravity data, acquired offshore of Etna volcano, provide a new insight to understanding the relationship between tectonics and spatial-temporal evolution of volcanism. The Timpe Plateau, a structural high pertaining to the Hyblean foreland domain, located offshore of southeastern Mt. Etna, is speckled by volcanics and strongly affected by strike-slip tectonics. Transpressive deformation produced a push-up and a remarkable shortening along WNW-ESE to NW-SE trending lineaments. Fault segments, bounding basinal areas, show evidence of positive tectonic inversion, suggesting a former transtensive phase. Transtensive tectonics favoured the emplacement of deep magmatic intrusive bodies and Plio-Quaternary scattered volcanics through releasing zones. The continuing of wrench tectonics along different shear zones led to the migration of transtensive regions in the Etna area and the positive inversion of the former ones, where new magma ascent was hampered. This process caused the shifting of volcanism firstly along the main WNW-ESE trending “Southern Etna Shear Zone”, then towards the Valle del Bove and finally up to the present-day stratovolcano.
Highlights
IntroductionMt. Etna (eastern Sicily, Italy) provides one of the most intricate and studied examples of volcanism, its origin and spatial-temporal evolution are still the object of debate
Volcanism associated with strike-slip tectonics is well-documented worldwide (e.g.13,14 and references therein); we suggest that migration of releasing and restraining zones along strike-slip faults[15,16] may control the temporal and spatial distribution of volcanism
We studied the close correlation between the well-documented strike-slip tectonics affecting eastern Sicily[17,18,19,20] and the evolution of Etna volcanism
Summary
Mt. Etna (eastern Sicily, Italy) provides one of the most intricate and studied examples of volcanism, its origin and spatial-temporal evolution are still the object of debate. A connection between Malta Escarpment structures and volcanism was suggested by several authors[4,5,6,7,8]. We studied the close correlation between the well-documented strike-slip tectonics affecting eastern Sicily[17,18,19,20] and the evolution of Etna volcanism. We propose an innovative model to explain the evolution of this very active basaltic volcano at the front of a collisional belt, the rapid shifting of its eruptive vents and the occurrence of a local significant neo-tectonics. Our findings provide a striking advance in the wider understanding of tectono-magmatic interaction, giving a useful comparison for other volcanic regions worldwide
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