Regional Geology

The objective of the Regional Geology course is to provide the elements tectono-stratigraphic and structural for paleogeographic reconstruction of the Southern Apennines and Sicily in the context of the central Mediterranean. The discussion of various topics is framed within the broader context of Plate Tectonics.

The course consists of six credits: 5 cfu F (35 h) and 1 cfu L (12 h).

Lessons are held with slides and Power Point.

The laboratory credit consists in the reading and interpretation of geological maps at various scales in which are represented the tectonic-stratigraphic units that characterize the Present Apenninic-Maghrebian Orogen structural setting.

The topics of the lessons are available in pdf and must be requested in the library. Any additions and / or updates to the program are made by the teacher during the course.

The geological maps are made available by the educational structure or by the teacher. Several geological maps, as long as available, will be honored to the students attending the course.

1 - Tectonics and petrotectonic associations 1.1. - Passive continental margins. 1.2. - Divergent continental margins: Ocean Ridges. Ophiolites and oceanic crust. 1.3. - Convergent continental margins: Arc-Trench System, Forearc Basin, Magmatic Arc, Backarc basins. 1.4. - Structural associations and tectonic styles in Sicily and Southern Apennines. 2 - The main structural domains and crustal features in the Central Mediterranean: - Foreland domains (Apulian Block - Ionian Basin - Pelagian Block), - Orogenic domains (External Thrust System - Apennine-Maghrebian Chain - Kabilo Calabride Chain) - Tyrrhenian Basin, - Corso-Sardinian block 3 - Hyblean foreland, Gela-Catania foredeep and orogenic domains. Gela Nappe. Geodynamic evolution: timing and mode of deformation. 4 - Tectono-stratigraphic Units - Hyblean Unit, - Ionian covers (Ionidi Units): - M.Judica Unit, Imerese Unit, Sicani Unit, Lercara Unit. Stratigraphic Sequences and timing of deformation. - Panormidi Unit: stratigraphic successions of carbonate platform margin, and age of overthrusting. - Alpine basinal Tethys Unit (Sicilidi U.): M.Soro U., Troina-Tusa U. and their flysch covers (Reitano and Flysch of Troina). - Units resulting from delamination of the European margin: Calabridi Units (epimetamorphic U., Mandanici U., Aspromonte U.), terrigenous covers (Capo d'Orlando Flysch, Floresta Calcareniti) and Antisicilidi Unit. - "late-orogenic" Middle-Upper Miocene and Pliocene (Trubi). Pliocene and Quaternary deposits of the foredeep, basins and satellite-Tyrrhenian margin. 5 - Geodynamic evolution of the orogenic system: orogenic phases (eo-Alpine, Balearic and Tyrrhenian).

1. BIANCHI F., CARBONE S., GRASSO M., INVERNIZZI G., LENTINI F., LONGARETTI G., MERLINI S. & MOSTARDINI F. (1987) - Sicilia orientale: Profilo geologico Nebrodi-Madonie. Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 38, 429-458, 1 carta f.t.

2. FINETTI I., LENTINI F., CARBONE S., DEL BEN A., DI STEFANO A., GUARNIERI P., PIPAN M. & PRIZZON A. (2005) – Crustal tectonostratigraphy and geodynamics of the southern Apennines from CROP and other integrating geophysical-geological data. In: CROP Deep Seismic exploration of the Mediterranean Region Cap. 15 (I.R. Finetti Ed.), Spec. Vol. Elsevier, chapter 12, 225-262.

3.  FINETTI I., LENTINI F., CARBONE S., DEL BEN A., DI STEFANO A., FORLIN E., GUARNIERI P., PIPAN M. & PRIZZON A. (2005) – Geological outlaine of Sicily and lithospheric tectono-dinamics of its Tyrrhenian Margin from new CROP seismic data. In: CROP Deep Seismic exploration of the Mediterranean Region (I.R. Finetti Ed.), Spec. Vol. Elsevier, chapter 15, 319-376.

4. LENTINI F., CARBONE S. & GUARNIERI P. (2006) – Collisional and post-collisional tectonics of the Apenninic-Maghrebian Orogen (Southern Italy). In: Y. DILEK & S. PAVLIDES (Eds.), “Post-collisional Tectonics and Magmatism in the Eastern Mediterranean Region”. Geological Society of America, Special Paper 409, 57-81. doi: 10.1130/2006.2409(04).

5. CARBONE S. & LENTINI F. (2011) - Guida all’escursione del Corso di Geologia 2 e Laboratorio di Geologia 2: Madonie – Monti Sicani. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, 22 pp., 31 Maggio-1 Giugno 2011.

6. CARBONE S. (2011) - Guida all’escursione del Corso di Geologia 2 e Laboratorio di Geologia 2: Falda di Gela – Monti Iblei. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, 19 pp., 23 Giugno 2011.

7.  LENTINI F. & CARBONE S. (2014) – Memorie descrittive della Carta Geologica d’Italia: Geologia della Sicilia. Con i contributi di S. Branca (vulcanico), A. Messina (basamenti cristallini). ISPRA, v. 95: 414 pp.