GNGTS 2013 - Atti del 32° Convegno Nazionale

Middle Pleistocene, the northern grabens (i.e. the modern Garigliano and Campana plains) were affected by intense volcanism (e.g. Brocchini et al ., 2001; Rolandi et al ., 2003). Following the ceasing of the orogenic transport in the early part of the Middle Pleistocene (at 0.7 Ma; Patacca and Scandone, 2001), the chain was affected by extensional tectonics (Cinque et al ., 1993; Hippolyte et al ., 1994). Dominantly extensional faults that postdate and dissect the thrust belt (e.g. Cello et al ., 1982; Butler et al ., 2004; Caiazzo et al ., 2006) were also responsible for the formation of several, widespread intramontane basins. Extensional tectonics, which is driven by a NE-SW oriented extension direction, is currently active and controls the intense seismicity which affects the axial belt of the mountain chain (e.g. Cello et al ., 1982; Hippolyte et al ., 1994; Chiarabba et al ., 2005; Macchiavelli et al ., 2012). At the surface the pattern of active faults, i.e. of faults showing evidence of activity in the late Pleistocene-Holocene, is scattered and characterized by mainly NW-SE and E-W trending fault segments. Major extensional structures are around 10 km long, and characterized by cumulative offsets in the order of some hundreds of meters (e.g., Cinque et al ., 2000; Caiazzo et al ., 2006). Time-space travertine distribution. The main travertine bodies (i.e. mappable on medium scale maps) of the Southern Apennines are all Quaternary in age. Such deposits were mapped and classified according to their age, i.e. those characterised by active encrustation were dis- tinguished from continental carbonates of Late, Middle and Lower Pleistocene age (Fig. 1). Information constraining age of single travertine units was provided by stratigraphic evidence and/or local chrono-stratigraphical reconstructions. The map of Fig. 1 also shows the distribu- tion of significant buried travertine bodies, which were detected based on both published and unpublished stratigraphic logs. The spatial distribution of travertine is markedly uneven, with Fig. 1 – Distribution of mappable travertine bodies in the southern Apennines (after Ascione et al., 2013, modified). 12 GNGTS 2013 S essione 1.1