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Minor antithetic faults, identified by letters A to D, in the Gorgoglione Formation exposed at the hangingwall of the Figliarola Fault. (a) outcrop photograph; (b) interpretation showing the position of two scanlines measured along two main sandstone beds; (c) diagrams of the fracture intensity measured along the two scanlines; (d) stereoplots showing the orientation of fault planes and fractures in each fault-bounded block shown in (b).
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This paper shows the main results of a multidisciplinary study performed along the southeastern sector of the Agri Valley in Basilicata (Southern Italy), where Cenozoic units, crucial for constraining the progressive evolution of the Southern Apennine thrust and fold belt and, more in general, the geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean area are...
Citations
... NE-verging thrusting produced a complex nappe stack, characterized, from top to bottom, by the superposition of the following paleogeographic domains. Eocene (?)-Miocene wedge top basin deposits (Fig. 1b), comprising the Gorgoglione Fm., lay uncomformably above the Albidona Fm. (Fig. 2), which is controversially interpreted as synorogenic sediments deposited during (Lentini et al., 1987;Cello and Mazzoli, 1998) or before (Patacca and Scandone 2007;Prosser et al., 2021) the contractional deformation of Adria paleomargin. The Ligurian Accretionary Complex is mainly formed by deep-sea sedimentary and metamorphic rocks ( Fig. 1b and 2), which originated from west-directed subduction of the oceanic crust originally located between the Adria and the European plates (Patacca and Scandone, 2007;Prosser et al., 2021). ...
... Eocene (?)-Miocene wedge top basin deposits (Fig. 1b), comprising the Gorgoglione Fm., lay uncomformably above the Albidona Fm. (Fig. 2), which is controversially interpreted as synorogenic sediments deposited during (Lentini et al., 1987;Cello and Mazzoli, 1998) or before (Patacca and Scandone 2007;Prosser et al., 2021) the contractional deformation of Adria paleomargin. The Ligurian Accretionary Complex is mainly formed by deep-sea sedimentary and metamorphic rocks ( Fig. 1b and 2), which originated from west-directed subduction of the oceanic crust originally located between the Adria and the European plates (Patacca and Scandone, 2007;Prosser et al., 2021). The Adria passive margin, from west to east, includes the Apennine Carbonate Platform, consisting of a thick succession of shallow water carbonates of Triassic to Miocene age; the Lagonegro Basin, consisting of proximal to distal pelagic successions of Triassic to Miocene age; and the Apulian Carbonate Platform, made of a thick succession of shallow water carbonates of Triassic to Miocene age (Roure et al., 1991;Monaco et al., 1998;Patacca and Scandone, 2007, Fig. 1b and 2). ...
The Val d’Agri Basin is a Quaternary sedimentary basin topping multiple tectonic units of the southern Apen
nines fold-and-thrust belt and a giant oilfield within deeper Apulian Platform carbonates. This basin is bounded
by the seismically active East Agri (EAFS) and Monti della Maddalena (MMFS) extensional fault systems. The
reservoir rocks are sealed and separated from shallower thrust sheets by a clay-rich and overpressured m´ elange.
The role of this m´ elange during fault evolution at shallow crustal levels is widely debated and perhaps under
estimated. Here, through multi-scale structural analyses and U–Pb dating of syn-tectonic calcite mineralizations,
we gain new insights into the Val d’Agri fault system architecture, their structural maturity, and their relations
with both natural and induced seismicity. Consistent with present-day NE-SW crustal stretching, the macro-scale
structural architecture of both EAFS and MMFS is controlled by NW-SE and NE-SW fault sets, which displaced
and in part re-sheared inherited pre- and syn-orogenic structures. The lack of evident clustering of meso-scale
faults and the radial pattern of related slickenlines suggest that polygonal-like faulting occurred, particularly
along the EAFS, due to lateral spreading of the Irpinia m´ elange in the subsurface. Structural data show that the
MMFS is characterized by a higher structural maturity (slip longevity), with calcite U–Pb ages indicating the
onset of long-lasting extensional tectonics in Early-Middle Miocene time. The original results are discussed in
terms of seismotectonic setting of the study area, emphasizing the role played by both the thickness and spatial
distribution of plastic m´ elange in modulating fluid pressure and seismic faulting.
... Focusing on the shallow-water carbonates of the Apenninic platform, they were over-thrusted by the deep-water, ophiolite-bearing, Ligurian accretionary complex, and by the Sicilide units, and tectonically overrode the Lagonegro deep water unit (Amore et al., 1988;Bonardi et al., 1988a;Palladino et al., 2023;Ciarcia et al., 2009Ciarcia et al., , 2012Prosser et al., 2021). Then, further shortening was accompanied by a transition from thin-to-thick-skinned tectonics with the involvement of the Apulian Platform (Mazzoli et al., 2014;Butler and Mazzoli, 2006), which occurred during early Pliocene with the tectonic inversion of Permian-Triassic extensional structures (Mostardini and Merlini, 1986;Shiner et al., 2004;Butler and Mazzoli, 2006). ...
The high-angle faults bounding the High Agri Valley Basin eastwards are well-exposed at the Viggiano Mt., southern Italy. There, these faults crosscut Mesozoic shallow-water carbonates and permit the multiscale analyses of fault and fracture geometry and distribution. Aiming at assessing the control exerted by carbonate lithofacies and scales of observation, we combine field and digital structural analyses to compute the values of 1D and 2D fracture density and intensity, and the dimensional properties of single fault and fracture sets. As a result, from outcrop to reservoir scales we document a scale-variant geometry of faults and fractures, and the great variation of both fracture density and intensity among the studied carbonate lithofacies. Furthermore, we compute a P21 dimensional scaling factor of ca. 20 for over 3 order magnitude, whereas inconsistent results are achieved for the P20 values. Not considering the control exerted by the single carbonate lithofacies, at a reservoir scale we document that the small-scale faults greatly impact the computed P21 values.
... The axial zone of the Southern Apennines shows a complex structural arrangement, resulting from the superposition of contractional, strike-slip and extensional tectonic structures, which are often difficult to unravel (Cello et al., 2000;Mazzoli et al., 2001;Olita et al., 2023). Recently, Prosser et al. (2021), have stressed on the importance of using updated geological maps, showing detailed stratigraphic subdivisions, for unravelling the geometry of the tectonic structures in such structurally complex terrains. The authors successfully applied this method to a sector of the Agri Valley in the Southern Apennines. ...
... It consists of a strongly deformed Meso-Cenozoic succession pertaining to the Alpine Tethys realm, originally deposited above an oceanic crust (Bonardi et al., 1988). The succession consists of strongly deformed metamorphic and nonmetamorphic rocks, followed upward by deepwater turbidites (Cavalcante et al., 2012;Prosser et al., 2021). ...
... Represents the remnant of the Ligurian accretionary prism which consists of strongly deformed Meso-Cenozoic rocks, originally deposited above the Alpine Tethys Ocean (Bonardi et al., 1988;Cavalcante et al., 2012;Prosser et al., 2021) (Figure 2 Baruffini et al. (2000) and Prosser et al. (2021), the Albidona Formation has been subdivided into two members, FAB and FABa, the former containing marly horizons (MRN). This new stratigraphic scheme allowed to extend FAB to larger areas with respect to the existing geological maps (a great portion of the Albidona Formation deposits occurring in the study area have erroneously been ascribed to the Gorgoglione Formation, see Prosser et al., 2021), by mapping specific stratigraphic horizons. ...
... A mass transport deposit containing metric sized blocks of pink granite and mafic rocks is present on top of the uppermost marly horizon. This olistostrome layer, already described by previous authors, are placed in the Vallone La Fornace Gorge [86,87], and in other sectors of the Agri Valley [26,88]. The upper member mainly consists of alternating sandstone and microconglomerate and conglomerate beds and possibly corresponds to the D member described by Baruffini et al. [67] in the type locality. ...
The Tramutola area in the High Agri Valley represents a key for the Southern Apennines fold and thrust belt. There, natural oil seeps from small carbonate reservoirs located at shallow depths that have been historically known since the 19th century, and hypothermal water was discovered during hydrocarbon exploration. From a geological point of view, the study area, extending for about 11 km 2 , is characterized with the presence of a complete section of the tectonic units of the southern Apennines and a complex structural framework that has not yet been fully clarified. In this work, geological analysis is based on new lithological and structural data, acquired during a detailed geological survey, compared with well logs obtained during exploration for hydrocarbons. Furthermore, a new geophysical investigation down to a 1 km depth (deep electrical resistivity tomography) allowed inference of buried structural and geological characteristics of the studied area. Through combining surface and subsurface data, some preliminary considerations about the structural setting and geofluid presence down to a 1 km depth have been made. Furthermore, geological-structural cross-sections have been constructed with the purpose of depicting the geometries of structures affecting the Apennine nappe pile in the subsurface, possibly favoring early uprising of hydrocarbons as well as circulation of hypothermal fluids and associated gases rising from deeper reservoirs.
... The Viggiano Mountain is located along the NE margin of the High Agri Valley, which is an intra-mountain tectonic basin filled with Quaternary fluvio-lacustrine deposits (Di Niro et al. 1992). The WNW-ESE elongated High Agri Valley basin is bounded by high-angle transtensional faults forming the East Agri Valley fault system (EAFS; Fig. 1b) and the Monti della Maddalena fault system (Cello & Mazzoli, 1998;Cello et al. 2000Cello et al. , 2003Maschio et al. 2005;Prosser et al. 2021). The studied Mesozoic carbonates of the Viggiano Mountain are cross-cut by faults pertaining to EAFS. ...
The Viggiano Mt. platform carbonates form a layered succession cross-cut by a dense array of pressure solution seams, and five sets of fractures and veins, which together form a sub-seismic structural network associated with polyphasic tectonic evolution. To assess the influence exerted by depositional and diagenetic heterogeneities on fracture geometry, distribution and multiscale properties, we present the results of stratigraphic, petrographic, mineralogical and mesoscale structural analyses conducted at the Viggiano Mountain, southern Italy. Based on rock textures and fossil associations, we documented that the Sinemurian–Pleinsbachian carbonates were deposited in a low-energy open lagoon, the Toarcian carbonates in a ramp setting rimmed by sand shoals, and the Cenomanian carbonates in a medium- to high-energy, lagoonal–tidal setting. Fracture-density (P20) and intensity (P21) values computed after circular scanline measurements show similar trends in both Sinemurian–Pleinsbachian and Toarcian carbonates, consistent with the bed and bed-package heterogeneities acting as efficient mechanical interfaces during incipient faulting. On the other hand, P20 and P21 do not show very similar variations throughout the Cenomanian carbonates due to pronounced bed amalgamation. Throughout the study area, the aforementioned parameters do not vary in proportion to the bed thickness, and show higher values within the coarse-grained carbonate beds. This conclusion is confirmed by results of linear scanline measurements, which focus on the P10 properties of the most common diffuse fracture set. The original results reported in this work are consistent with burial-related, physical–chemical compaction and cementation processes affecting the fracture stratigraphy of the Mesozoic platform carbonates.
... The Albidona Formation is bounded at the base by a low angle thrust contact, which is not exposed in the study area (Fig 3). Based on both outcrop and subsurface data, the age and stratigraphic organization of the Albidona Formation cropping out in the Contrada La Rossa area has been recently studied in detail [26]. Two main members have been recognized. ...
... The Gorgoglione Formation lies unconformably above the Albidona Formation ( Fig 1C). According to [26], the Albidona Formation recorded multiple episodes of contractional deformation linked with its involvement first in the Ligurian accretionary wedge and later in the building of the southern Apennines chain. The Gorgoglione Formation shows lower deformation intensity related to the Apennine tectonic stages. ...
... Both successions are largely affected by Quaternary extensional and strike-slip faults connected to the formation of the high Agri Valley. The presence of marker beds in the studied successions, such as the pebbly mudstone interval and thick marly horizons, allow accurate mapping of the tectonic structures in the study area [26]. Three main fault sets, trending NW-SE, NE-SW, and nearly N-S, have been recognized (Fig 3). ...
Turbidite successions can behave either as aquitards or aquifers depending on their lithological and hydraulic features. In particular, post-depositional processes can increase rock permeability due to fracture development in the competent layers. Thus, at a local scale, turbidite systems warrant further detailed investigations, aimed at reconstructing reliable hydrogeological models. The objective of this work was to investigate from the hydrogeological perspective a turbiditic aquifer located in southern Italy, where several perennial and seasonal springs were detected. Considering the complex hydrodynamics of these systems at the catchment scale, to reach an optimal characterization, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted. The conceptual framework employed microbial communities as groundwater tracers, together with the physicochemical features and isotopic signature of springs and streams from water samples. Meanwhile, geophysical investigations coupled with the geological survey provided the contextualization of the hydrogeological data into the detailed geological reconstruction of the study area. This modus operandi allowed us to typify several differences among the samples, allowing identification of sources and paths of surface water and groundwater, along with diffuse groundwater outflow along streams. As a final result, a hydrogeological conceptual model was reconstructed, underlining how at a very local scale the lithologic, hydraulic, and geomorphological heterogeneity of the studied relief can lead to an improved hydrogeological conceptual model compared to that of other turbidite systems. These results open new questions about the hydrogeological behavior of turbiditic aquifers, which could be pivotal in future research. In fact, these systems could support relevant ecosystems and anthropic activities, especially where climate change will force the research of new (and probably less hydrogeologically efficient) water sources.
... These Units, which form the substrate of the basin and emerge along the flanks of the Val d'Agri, refer to the Ligurian domain, the Apennine carbonate platform, and the Lagonegro Basin. They are generally covered in discordance by synorogenic flyschoid units of the Eocene and Miocene age (Prosser et al., 2021). ...
... In general, the outcropping formations are represented by a fractured (Lentini et al., 2005) and modified according to updates derived from recent detailed studies (Prosser et al., 2021). ...
Establishing the natural background levels of chemical elements is very often extremely complicated. This is even more true especially for the more anthropized areas, where the concentration of an element in the environmental matrices is conditioned not only by the natural (geogenic) context but also by anthropic activities. In this study, the natural background levels (NBLs) of several chemical elements in the stream sediments of the High Agri River basin have been calculated using a combination of multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) and machine learning techniques in the frame of compositional data analysis (CoDA). Specifically, data clustering and robust principal component analysis (rPCA) have allowed us to recognize and isolate three different data populations, belonging to three different geological domains. A first population of data is clearly related to calcareous lithologies, while the second one is associated to siliciclastic lithologies. A third one is of mixed origin, partly linked to the volcanoclastic nature of the sediments and due to the presence of co-precipitation phenomena. The three data populations have been later separated into three different databases and, whereas needed, the outliers have been eliminated. Based on the obtained results, the NBLs have been calculated using the US-EPA's (United States Environmental Protection Agency) ProUCL software. The results derived from this new approach have been later compared with those obtained using the spectral analysis (S-A) method to evaluate its advantages and versatility. This approach allowed calculating more reliable natural background values.
In the present paper, a critical analysis of the 1980 Irpinia-Basilicata (southern Italy) post-earthquake phase has been carried out, with particular attention to the Basilicata region. Post-earthquake policies were mainly addressed towards the physical reconstruction and socio-economic development of the affected areas. As for the development process, the expected results from the industrialisation and infrastructure works have been rather poor or indeed not achieved, mainly as a consequence of red tape, inefficiency and sometimes corruption events. On the other hand, impressive steps ahead have been made in terms of knowledge advancement concerning the assessment and reduction of seismic risk, with the creation of important education and research institutions in Basilicata. Furthermore, the relationship between earthquake disaster and territorial development has been examined, starting from some prominent studies proposed in the literature. The evolution of vulnerability levels to earthquakes of some countries around the world have been evaluated. Specifically, considering a time span of about 40 years (1980-2020), the data related to the number of deaths caused by earthquakes with respect to the population exposed has been analysed and some comparisons have been carried out. Although limited, since referring to a single risk indicator, the results confirm the close link between seismic consequences and socio-economic characteristics of the affected communities, as a poignant lesson for planning effective risk mitigation strategies.
