GNGTS 2023 - Atti del 41° Convegno Nazionale

Session 1.1 - POSTER GNGTS 2023 Active Morphotectonic Evidence In The Tirana Area (Nw Albania) P. Di Manna 1 , L. Piccardi 2 , E. Vittori 2 , A. M. Blumetti 1 , V. Comerci 1 , D. Gega 3 , I. Hoxha 4 , P. Na ҫ o 4 1 Geological Survey of Italy–ISPRA, Rome, Italy 2 Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources–CNR, Florence, Italy 3 Geological Survey of Albania, Tirana, Albania 4 Institute of Geosciences-Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania Introduction Albania lies in the centre of the active Peri-Adriatic thrust and fold belt, roughly trending NW-SE from the Dinarides (north) to the Hellenides (south), cut by major NE-SW- fault zones (Fig. 1). Compressional seismic events with magnitudes > 7 (e.g., 1979 Montenegro earthquake) affect the external, coastal areas, while normal faulting dominates the inner areas. The recent Mw 6.4 Durrës earthquake on 26-11-2019 caused heavy damage and killed 51 people (IGEWE 2019, Vittori et al. 2021), rivitalizing the open question of seismic hazard in NW Albania. In fact, the historical seismic catalogue shows an intense seismicity with many Mw > 6 only during the last two centuries, likely providing an incomplete picture of the actual seismic potential. Several important faults, mainly thrusts and transfer faults, are already known (Aliaj et al. 2010 with references), but their true seismogenic potential and capability are still poorly accounted for. The goal of the ongoing work is to point out the capable faults and folds in the Tirana and Durres Basins by their morphotectonic evidence and seismicity, to contribute to a more geologically-sound assessment of the seismic hazard in this highly developed region. A better knowledge of the seismogenic structures is also relevant for the seismic and tsunami hazard of the Adriatic-Ionian facing countries, including Italy. Geological and tectonic setting of western Albania The Albanides developed since the Upper Jurassic following the subduction of the Adria microplate under the Eurasian Plate and the subsequent collisional and post-collisional processes started in the Early Miocene (Handy et al. 2019 with references). The study area corresponds to the NW sector of the Western Albanides tectonic domain, where three main tectonic units crop out bounded by regional thrusts: from E to W, Krasta-Cukali, Kruja and Ionian zones. The peri-Adriatic depression developed as a foredeep on the front of the external Albanides thrust belt. In this sector, the active SW shortening is probably related to a