Late Quaternary deformation of NE Sicily from relief and drainage system analysis

Francesco Pavano (a)
(a) Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche, Ambientali – Sezione Scienze della Terra, Università di Catania, Corso Italia, 55, 95129 CATANIA Email francesco.pavano@hotmail.it

As evidenced by geodetic data, the NE-Sicily, at the southern margin of the Calabrian arc, represents a disjoined crustal mobile block (Peloritani Mobile Block; PMB) that moves towards the NNW, independently from both the Calabrian sector of the arc, and the Sicilian collision belt. To the south-west the PMB is bordered by several NW-SE, SW-dipping, normal fault segments, showing Holocene rejuvenated fault scarps. Furthermore, the Late Quaternary marine terraces analysis constrains an almost constant difference in uplift-rate between the PMB (1.1 mm/a) and the surrounding areas (0,75 mm/a). In this region relief and drainage system analysis has been carried out, in order to recognize the morphological effects due to the regional uplift and local tectonic deformation involving the NE Sicily. The results could be applied to identify and quantitatively estimate low displacement-rate (0.4-0.5 mm/a) active faults activity within zones affected by more intense regional tectonic processes (1.1 mm/a).

active tectonics, drainage system, relief, Peloritani Mobile Block