THE APENNINES IN THE GEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN AREA

6-8 September 2010, Pisa ( Italy)

The Apennines occupy a central position in the Africa-verging orogenic system representing the link between the Maghrebides and the Southern Alps - Dinarides. The palinspastic restoration of the Apennine chain paleogeographic domains and the correlation of these domains with the adjacent realms of the peri-Adriatic region are fundamental puzzle pieces for understanding the geological evolution of the Central Mediterranean area.

Major geodynamic processes have occurred within a relatively small area, i.e. plate divergence, plate convergence accompanied by ocean consumption and continent-continent collision. These processes are associated with regional metamorphism and plate decoupling caused by fast flexure-hinge retreat of the lower plate leading to the opening of post-collisional extensional basins. The complexity of the Appennine chain tectonic setting is also confirmed by the high variability of Cenozoic magmatism and the non-uniform distribution of earthquakes with shallow events all along the Italian Peninsula and deep events concentrated in the Calabrian Arc and Southern Tyrrhenian Basin.

The Apennines represent the perfect laboratory for developing advanced geological models based on the integration of surface geology and deep structures that can also be applied to other complex regions of the Earth. In fact, a large amount of subsurface data derived from extensive petroleum exploration and geothermal research can be combined to the study of a wide range of the geodynamic processes characteristic of this area.

The important historical-artistic heritage widespread over most of the Apennine region coupled with the increasing demand of energy, water and raw materials coming from several densely-populated areas, is challenging the geological community to provide swift and reliable answers in the field of sustainable exploitation of natural resources, management o f d natural risks and protection of the environment. Fulfilling these tasks mainly requires comprehensive and rigorous studies on the structure and architecture of the Apennines chain, urging geologists to embrace modern and interdisciplinary approaches that will eventually lead a more active role of Earth scientists within the Community.