Morphotectonic characterization of the quaternary intermontane basins of the Umbria-Marche Apennines (Italy)

In the axial zone of the Umbria-Marche Apennines, several fault-bounded intermontane basins (i.e., Colfiorito, Norcia, Castelluccio and Leonessa) were generated at the end of Lower Pleistocene. The analysis of the master fault of the basins, the relicts of planation surfaces and the drainage network arrangements, allowed us the improvement of knowledge on the Pleistocene morphotectonic evolution of those basins. Morphometry and geostatistics of the topography have been performed to obtain indexes suitable for assessing the role of faults displacements on the landscape development. Furthermore, a gravimetric analysis realized along some basins has furnished new data on their sedimentary infill. The basins are filled by Pleistocene to Holocene fluvial-lacustrine coarse-grained deposits, and the bedrock consists of Jurassic to Miocene limestone and marls belonging to the Umbria-Marche succession. Several historical and instrumental highly destructive earthquakes occurred in this area: January 14, 1703 (X MCS, M = 6.6); September 19, 1979 (Ms = 5.9, focal depth of 6–8 km); September 26, 1997 (Mw = 6.0, focal depth of 6–8 km). Faults and earthquake focal mechanisms are compatible with a predominant NE–SW extension, but strike-slip and reverse mechanisms have been also documented. The fault activity appears to have had a predominant role in controlling the sedimentation processes inside the intermontane basins, as well as in controlling their Pliocene to Quaternary evolution.

[1]  L. Tsai,et al.  A quantitative analysis for geomorphic indices of longitudinal river profile: a case study of the Choushui River, Central Taiwan , 2010 .

[2]  E. Tondi,et al.  Spatiotemporal evolution of the Central Apennines fault system (Italy) , 2003 .

[3]  E. Tondi,et al.  Active tectonics in the central Apennines and possible implications for seismic hazard analysis in peninsular Italy , 1997 .

[4]  Jorge Pedro Galve,et al.  Spatial analysis of stream length-gradient (SL) index for detecting hillslope processes: A case of the Gállego River headwaters (Central Pyrenees, Spain) , 2014 .

[5]  Y. Gunnell,et al.  An automated method for producing synoptic regional maps of river gradient variation: Procedure, accuracy tests, and comparison with other knickpoint mapping methods , 2011 .

[6]  F. Dramis,et al.  Il ruolo di elementi strutturali trasversali nell'evoluzione tettonico-sedimentaria e geomorfologica della regione marchigiana. , 1991 .

[7]  W. Bull.  Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains , 2007 .

[8]  Jeroen M. Schoorl,et al.  Assessment of recent tectonic activity on the NW Iberian Atlantic Margin by means of geomorphic indices and field studies of the Lower Miño River terraces , 2012 .

[9]  L. Orlando,et al.  Regional gravity anomaly map and crustal model of the Central–Southern Apennines (Italy) , 2005 .

[10]  Maurizio Del Monte,et al.  Morphotectonic evolution of the Adriatic piedmont of the Apennines: An advancement in the knowledge of the Marche-Abruzzo border area , 2008 .

[11]  M. Coltorti,et al.  Neotectonic evolution and geomorphology of the Cascia and Norcia depressions (Umbria-Marche Apennines) , 1982 .

[12]  Max Derruau,et al.  Géomorphologie des abruzzes adriatiques , 1966 .

[13]  Ernest D. Werner,et al.  Landslides : causes, types and effects , 2010 .

[14]  Francesco Troiani,et al.  Geomorphological response of fluvial and coastal terraces to Quaternary tectonics and climate as revealed by geostatistical topographic analysis , 2011 .

[15]  Pietro Paolo Pierantoni,et al.  Geometry, segmentation pattern and displacement variations along a major Apennine thrust zone, central Italy , 2005 .

[16]  M. Coltorti,et al.  Geomorphological evidence for anti-Apennine faults in the Umbro-Marchean Apennines and in the peri-Adriatic basin, Italy , 1996 .

[17]  N. Catto.  Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains: A New Approach to Paleoseismology, William B. Bull. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, USA (2007), 316 pp., Hardcover, $42.00, ISBN: 978-1-40515-479-6 , 2009 .

[18]  J. T. Hack,et al.  Stream-profile analysis and stream-gradient index , 1973 .

[19]  Pierluigi Pieruccini,et al.  A late Lower Pliocene planation surface across the Italian Peninsula: a key tool in neotectonic studies , 2000 .

[20]  B. Gentili,et al.  Mass movement in adriatic central Italy: activation and evolutive control factors. , 2010 .

[21]  M. Font,et al.  DEM and GIS analysis of the stream gradient index to evaluate effects of tectonics: The Normandy intraplate area (NW France) , 2010 .

[22]  F. Calamita,et al.  Contrasting styles of fault reactivation in curved orogenic belts: Examples from the Central Apennines (Italy) , 2011 .

[23]  K. Pedoja,et al.  Transpressional tectonics in the Marrakech High Atlas: Insight by the geomorphic evolution of drainage basins , 2011 .

[24]  Douglas W. Burbank,et al.  Characteristic size of relief , 1992, Nature.

[25]  José Vicente Pérez-Peña,et al.  Spatial analysis of stream power using GIS: SLk anomaly maps , 2009 .

[26]  Frank J. Pazzaglia,et al.  Position of the Snake River watershed divide as an indicator of geodynamic processes in the greater Yellowstone region, western North America , 2007 .

[27]  P. Pieruccini,et al.  Quaternary normal faults, intramontane basins and seismicity in the Umbria-Marche-Abruzzi Apennine Ridge (Italy): contribution of neotectonic analysis to seismic hazard assessment , 2002 .

[28]  C. Faccenna,et al.  The influence of surface and tectonic processes on landscape evolution of the Iberian Chain (Spain): Quantitative geomorphological analysis and geochronology , 2014 .

[29]  S. Galdenzi,et al.  Stratigraphic and structural features of the Sibillini Mountains (Umbria-Marche Apennines, Italy) , 2013 .

[30]  G. Fubelli,et al.  Interaction of mantle dynamics, crustal tectonics and surface processes in the topography of the Romanian Carpathians: a geomorphological approach. , 2012, GPC 2012.

[31]  B. Gentili,et al.  Deep seated gravitational slope deformations in active tectonics areas of the Umbria-Marche Apennine (central Italy) , 2010 .

[32]  E. Tondi,et al.  Geological analysis and seismic hazard in the Central Apennines (Italy) , 2000 .

[33]  F. Troiani,et al.  The use of the Stream Length–Gradient index in morphotectonic analysis of small catchments: A case study from Central Italy , 2008 .

[34]  N. Cressie.  The origins of kriging , 1990 .