Kinematic constraints of the active northern Matese Fault System (southern Italy)

Here we applied structural geology methodologies with the aim of unraveling the Quaternary history of the active northern Matese fault. This structure bounds the northern slopes of the Matese massif (Bojano basin), i.e., one of the most seismically hazardous regions of Europe which is the epicentral area of some of the strongest Italian earthquakes (Mw ≥ 6.6). We focused on the northern Matese fault in order to investigate its Quaternary evolution, identifying the different kinematic phases from the end of the Pliocene to the Present. To achieve this goal we have applied a method of analysis correlating the structural information with geological, seismological and paleoseismological data. In particular, structural data provided the opportunity to derive the synthetic focal mechanisms that were successfully compared with the seismic focal mechanisms available for the area. Then, we determined Mohr-Coulomb circles in order to identify and distinguish the kinematic phases of optimally oriented fault development from those of later fault reactivation within a varied stress field. By integrating the results gathered from the structural analysis with available constraints provided by previous active tectonics studies, it was possible to reconstruct an evolutionary model for the main segment of the northern Matese fault during the Quaternary.

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