P02 Copertina R OK C August 20-28,2004 Florence -Italy Field Trip Guide Book - P02 Post-Congress Associate Leaders:P

P02_copertina_R_OK C August 20-28,2004 Florence -Italy Field Trip Guide Book - P02 Post-Congress Associate Leaders:P. Guarnieri,M.Coltelli Leader: F. Lentini 32 Volume n°3-fromD01toP13 GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS OROGEN INSICILY APENNINIC -MAGHREBIAN VOLCANICS ACROSSTHE STRATIGRAPHY AND STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, nd INTERNATIONAL P02 24-05-2004, 16:06:46 The scientific content of this guide is under the total responsibility of the Authors

Published by: APAT – Italian Agency for the Environmental Protection and Technical Services - Via Vitaliano Brancati, 48 - 00144 Roma - Italy

Series Editors: Luca Guerrieri, Irene Rischia and Leonello Serva (APAT, Roma)

English Desk-copy Editors: Paul Mazza (Università di Firenze), Jessica Ann Thonn (Università di Firenze), Nathalie Marléne Adams (Università di Firenze), Miriam Friedman (Università di Firenze), Kate Eadie (Freelance indipendent professional)

Field Trip Committee: Leonello Serva (APAT, Roma), Alessandro Michetti (Università dell’Insubria, Como), Giulio Pavia (Università di Torino), Raffaele Pignone (Servizio Geologico Regione Emilia-Romagna, Bologna) and Riccardo Polino (CNR, Torino)

Acknowledgments: The 32nd IGC Organizing Committee is grateful to Roberto Pompili and Elisa Brustia (APAT, Roma) for their collaboration in editing.

Graphic project: Full snc - Firenze

Layout and press: Lito Terrazzi srl - Firenze

P02_copertina_R_OK D 24-05-2004, 16:05:37 Volume n° 3 - from D01 to P13

32nd INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY

AUTHORS: F. Lentini (Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche - Università di Catania - Italy) P. Guarnieri (Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche - Università di Catania - Italy) S. Branca (Istituto Nazionale di Geoﬁ sica e Vulcanologia - INGV, Catania - Italy) ASSOCIATE LEADER: M. Coltelli (Istituto Nazionale di Geoﬁ sica e Vulcanologia - INGV, Catania - Italy)

Florence - Italy August 20-28, 2004

Post-Congress P02

P02_R_OK A 24-05-2004, 16:09:25 Front Cover: Geological and touristic views of Sicily

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Leader: F. Lentini Associate Leaders: M. Coltelli, P. Guarnieri

Introduction whole central Mediterranean. The observations of The ﬁ eld trip would like to head from south to the geometric relationships in the ﬁ eld will allow north, from the Hyblean foreland to the Madonie- the participants to obtain a picture of the Neogene- Nebrodi-Peloritani chain, ending with a tour across Quaternary geodynamic evolution of the orogen, its Etna including a visit to the summit craters and connection with the Tyrrhenian opening, and the role the Valle del Bove. In this way one goes across the of Etnean volcanism in this sector of the chain. The Apenninic-Maghrebian orogen to gain an idea of participants will receive several geological maps, the main stratigraphic and structural characteristics mostly printed in recent years, and they will have the of the most representative sequences relative to the chance to visit and explore locations of worldwide African margin, the Ionian palaeobasin, the carbonate historical and tourist interest. platforms connected to an intermediate continental crust, the Tethyan basin s.s. to the European Regional geologic setting paleomargin. Such an up-to-date palaeogeographic The central Mediterranean is an area where the overview is of general interest and valid for the geodynamic effects of the Neogene collisional Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume

Figure 1 - Main Structural Domains in the Central Mediterranean area.

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini on acontinentalcrust. The KCChasbeeninterpreted platform (thePanormide Platform),originallylocated oceanic crusts,andseparatedbytheinnercarbonate and thePalaeo-Ionian basin). They wereﬂ two palaeogeographicdomains(the Alpine Tethys embricated sedimentarysequencesderived from overlying theETS. The AMC isconstitutedby composed ofaroofthrustsystemtectonically Apulian Blocks. The secondone,the AMC, is covers oftheﬂ the Tortonian bythedetachmentofsedimentary Chain ( Maghrebian Chain( the External Thrust System( to theinnermostareas,ofthreemainorogenicbelts: The OrogenicDomainsarecomposed,fromtheouter of theIonianBasin(Fig.1). separated sincethePermo-Trias bytheoceaniccrust belonging tothe Africa andthe Adria plates, and the Apulian BlocktotheNorth,respectively continental blocks:thePelagianBlocktoSouth 1996; ). The Foreland Domainiscomposedoftwo Hinterland Domains(B Foreland Domain,theOrogenicDomainsand some structuraldomainscanbedistinguished:the Apenninic-Maghrebian thrustbelt–foredeepsystem Africa-Europe systemcanbewellobserved. Inthe and post-collisionalhistoryintheconvergent L ENTINI

KCC et alii ). The ﬁ , 1994;1995;2001;F exured sector ofthePelagianand AMC rst oneoriginatedstartingin EN ), andtheKabilo-Calabride A VRAHAM ETS ), the Apenninic-

Figure 2-StructuralmapofSicily et alii INETTI oored by oored

, 1990; et alii , deformation oftheinnermostsectorPelagian a carbonatethrustsystem(ETS),originatingfromthe characterised byastackoframp-anticlinesbuilt upby In SicilythearchitectureofOrogenicDomainsis and overridden bytheexternal frontofthe AMC. is downfaulted, formingtheGela-Catania Foredeep, thick continentalcrust.Northwestwards, theforeland Quaternary carbonatesequencelyingupona30-Km- 1 and2). This ismadeupofathick Triassic-to- eastern Sicily, known astheHybleanPlateau(Figs. Maltese Islands,andemerges inthesouthernpartof foreland includesthewholeSicilyChanneland reactivated inPlio-Pleistocenetimes. Thus the inherited fromMesozoicpalaeogeography and by theHyblean-Maltaescarpment,adiscontinuity discontinuity known asthe“N-S Axis”, andtotheeast and itisboundedtothewestbyanearlyN-Strending extends fromthe Tunisian Atlas totheIonianBasin, undeformed sectorofthePelagianBlock,which The Maghrebian Crust). chain relatedtoacontinentalcrust(theso-called the middleMiocene,andencircledbyasubmerged a new oceaniccrust,inwhichtheopeningstarted Basin iscomposedofacentralarea,characterisedby the HinterlandDomains(Fig.1). The Tyrrhenian The SardiniaBlockandthe Tyrrhenian Basinrepresent margin. as originatingfromthedelaminationofEuropean Foreland Domain isrepresentedbythe 24-05-2004, 16:12:39 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 3 - Geologic cross-section of eastern Sicily.

Figure 4 - Schematic proﬁ le illustrating the relationship between the Kabilo-Calabride and Apenninic-Maghrebian chains.

Block, and named “Sistema siculo-pelagiano”. It alii, 2002). The deformation occurred in a context underlies a pile of rootless nappes, the roof thrust of thin-skinned tectonics and thus did not involve the system of the AMC, which in turn is overridden by crystalline basement. the KKC (Fig. 3). The Meso-Cenozoic pelagic sequences originally The ETS derives from the detachment, since the deposited in the oceanic area of the Palaeo-Ionian Tortonian onward, of the Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary basin, and successively involved in the orogenesis, covers of the continental margin of the Pelagian are completely detached and tectonically rest onto the Block (African Plate). It is extensively exposed in ETS. These covers are the so-called Imerese Units, the Tunisian Atlas. In western Sicily it outcrops along Sicanian Units and M.Judica Unit and have been more or less E-W oriented ridges (Monte Kumeta, grouped, with the name of Ionides. Rocca Busambra) and in the Trapani area (Erice, In fact the whole Jurassic-Cretaceous interval’s Capo S.Vito, Alcamo), while in eastern Sicily it is (Mt.Judica area in LENTINI, 1974) (STOP 1.1) facies, largely buried below the allochthonous AMC and and its relatively-thin thickness, often represented cannot be observed during the ﬁ eld-trip. only by volcanics, of , allow us to ascribe these The Apenninic-Maghrebian Chain is the most sequences to permanent deep water conditions, as an external of the allochthonous orogenic domains (Fig. oceanic area located between the “Maghrebian crust” DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume 3) and is part of a fold-and-thrust belt that extends and the Adria and Africa crusts. continuously as far as Morocco. It originated in The innermost basinal sedimentary sequences are the Late Oligocene, following the involvement of those called Sicilide Units (Ogniben, 1960) originally the deep basin and shallow sea paleodomains that deposited in the Alpine Tethys’ realm, and for this originally laid between the European and African reason named Tethydes. They are characterized margins: the Alpine Tethys basin, the Panormide by Upper Jurassic-Oligocene basinal carbonates, platform, and the Palaeo-Ionian basin (LENTINI et mudstones and varicoloured clays (Monte Soro Unit

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini the originalCenozoiccover oftheMt.SoroUnit the Troina Subunit. These lattertwo mightrepresent Early Miocenesuccessions,theNicosiaSubunit and superiori” Unit(ASSU),andtwo Paleogene upto the Mt.SoroUnitand“Argille Scagliose distinguished: two madeupofMesozoicsequences, this wedgeatleastfourtectonicunitshave been below theKabilo-KalabrideChain(Fig.4).Inside wedge, progressively thinningout,untilitdisappears, architecture oftheSicilidesisthatatectonic Lentini etal.(1996;2000)emphasizedthatthe detached fromtheirsubstratum. terrigenous turbiditicsuccessions,thataremainly 3.5), evolving toUpperOligocene-Lower Miocene of out-of-sequencethrustsintheinternalzone, the Hybleanforeland,withconsequentactivation the frontofchainreachedthicksuccessions was blocked when,fromtheLateMioceneonward, Numidian Flysch. The propagationofthethrusting Imerese successionshave ledtotherepetitions ofthe along theOligocenestrataofPanormide and the Triassic horizons.Furtherdetachmentlevels phases ofthrustingledbysolethruststhatliewithin The structuralsettingofeasternSicilyisaproduct Numidian Flysch. glauconitic marlsandsandstones,coeval withthe Oligocene-Early Mioceneinterval isrepresentedby In theMt.JudicaandSicanianUnits Nicosia Subunit). Flysch” involved intheallochthonousSicilides(the Panormide units,andthe“far travelled Numidian represents theoriginalcover ofthe Imerese and can bedistinguished:theexternal one,which In asemplifi and “ (B have beentectonicallymultipliedcanberecognized data atleastfi represented bytheNumidianFlysch.Fromwell into Oligo-Miocenefl (Ionides andPanormides) ofthe AMC passupward The Meso-Cenozoicbasinandplatformsequences 3 and4). largely compose thefrontalwedgeof AMC (Figs a moreexternal position,andatthepresentdaythey themselves have beendetachedandtranslatedinto terrigenous Panormide andImereseunits,which The SicilideUnitstectonicallyrestupontheMiocene covers. by ageneraldetachmentofthe Tertiary terrigenous of aprogressive accretionaryprocessaccompanied ASSU. The geometricrelationsprobablyaretheresult IANCHI Argille Scagliose superiori

et alii ed picturetwo mainNumidiansequences ve unitsoftheNumidianFlyschthat , 1987;C ARBONE ysch successions,mainly

et alii ” Unit)(STOPS 3.4; , 1990). and which belongtotheSouth Tyrrhenian System(F right-lateral faults orientedmoreorlessNW-SE, Miocene thrustfrontsaretruncatedbytranscurrent the collapsedHybleanmargin. IngeneraltheMiddle- ETS) overridden bythechainunitsandconnectedto system. Seismiclinesshow adeepsubstratum(the Maghrebide unitsontotheexternal unitsofthethrust which provoked theoverthrusting oftheinternal et alii The Tyrrhenian basin. tectonics accompanying theopeningupof from theLatePliocene-EarlyPleistocene,bycollapse alii Apennines andnamed“Maghrebiancrust”byL of thenortherncoastSicilyandSouthern crust, foundinthe Tyrrhenian offshore, respectively, crustal sectorsareincollisionwithacontinental to athinnedoroceaniccrust. At presentdaythese and hasbeeninterpretedasanoriginaltransition Tyrrhenian offshore. A generalthinning is evident island andtheSouthern Apennines toreachthe continental blocksextend below, respectively, the in fact shows thatboththePelagianand Apulian The interpretationoftheCROP-MARE seismiclines collision withthe African Platewas reached. “Maghrebian continentalcrust”andthepresent-day when thepalaeo-Ioniancrustsubductedbelow the is ascribedtoLateMioceneupRecenttimes, Platforms, andthethirdstage(the Tyrrhenian Stage), the Apenninic-Maghrebian wedgeontothePanormide Oligocene-Early Miocenewiththesuperpositionof one (theBalearicstage)originatedfromtheLate submerged areas (the Alpine stage); thesecond and detectedbyseismiclinesinthe Tyrrhenian testiﬁ Tethys crustwas consumedbeneaththe Adria Plate,as three subductionstages.Intheﬁ foredeep systemcanbeinterpretedasaresponseof progressive time-spacemigrationofthethrustbelt- recognised bytheCROP-Mare seismiclines. The distribution oftheoceanicandcontinentalcrusts Maghrebian Orogencanbeconnectedtothe The wholestructuralarchitectureofthe Apenninic- to theearlydeformationofthisdomain(Fig.4). age restuncomformablyuponthenappes,testifying arkosic turbiditesofLateEoceneandOligo-Miocene Cenozoic sedimentarycovers. Thick sequencesof basement nappeswiththeremaindersofMeso- the Europeanmargin. ItismadeupofHercynian orogenic domain,stemsfromthedelaminationof most elevated unit,andtheinnermostallochthonous , 2000). The Tyrrhenian margin ischaracterized, ed bythealpinewedgesoutcroppinginCalabria , 1996;D Kabilo-Calabride Chain EL B EN &G UARNIERI , thestructurally rst onethe Alpine , 2000;G 24-05-2004, 16:10:47 IUNTA ENTINI INETTI

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

et alii (2002). In Sicily this latter has been identifi ed in evolutionary phases. The oldest phase (Basal the Drepano Ridge located just some kms to the north Tholeiitic) corresponds to a long period of dispersed of the Tyrrhenian offshore and has been interpreted as fi ssure-type volcanism, from about 580 up to 260 ka. the original basement of the inner carbonate platforms This basal phase represents the northward extension (the Panormide Platforms). In the offshore of the of the Plio-Pleistocene Hyblean volcanism to the Napoli-Cilento alignment a similar crust has been Etnean region. It was initially characterized by detected, and interpreted as the original basement of submarine eruptions of magmas with tholeiitic affi nity the Apenninic Carbonate Platform (equivalent to the occurring in the northern portion of the Pleistocene Panormide Platform of Sicily). Gela-Catania foredeep basin. As a consequence of Evidence of the original Ionian slab has been found regional uplift, the eruptive activity gradually became in the seismic lines (CROP-M6A and M6B) across subaerial, forming scattered tholeiitic lava fl ows, the offshore of the Tyrrhenian margins of Sicily and currently cropping out along the south periphery of Southern Apennines. The slabs appear disactivated of the volcano. The second phase (Timpe) started and cut by the transcurrent margins of the Tyrrhenian about 220 ka when the eruptive activity concentrated Basin. mainly in the lower eastern fl ank of the Etna edifi ce, The superfi cial expression of this collisional setting is along the NNW-SSE oriented Timpe fault system. the South Tyrrhenian System, a NW-SE oriented fault In this area the occurrence of fi ssure-type eruptions pattern, with a dextral component of the motion. formed a small shield volcano, extending about 15 The South Tyrrhenian System (STS) is an expression km, presentlycurrently cut by the Timpe fault scarps. of the diachronous collision between the lithospheric During this second phase the passage from tholeiitic buttress of the chain and the African margin. Collision to alkaline volcanics occurred. The third phase (Valle did in fact initiate from the late Tortonian onward, del Bove centers) is marked by a main westward fi rst involving the western areas of Sicily and later shifting of the feeding system to the Valle del Bove extending to its eastern part. (VdB) area, forming a set of composite volcanics. The STS affects the South Tyrrhenian offshore and The earliest volcanic edifi ces identifi ed are Tarderia north-eastern Sicily. To the STS belongs also the and Rocche, whose products crop out, respectively, Vulcano, Tindari, Giardini alignment, known as in the north-eastern wall of the VdB and to the south Vulcano Fault. It represents a boundary between the of the valley. Afterward the volcanism concentrated collisional belt to the west and the subduction area to mainly in the south-western side of the VdB with the east, and it can be considered as the prolongation the formation of the Trifoglietto volcano. Local of the Malta Escarpment. shifting of the feeder produced the building of the Present westward subduction occurs with a NW Giannicola, Salifi zio and Cuvigghiuni volcanoes, dipping Benioff plane, as indicated by the distribution which are superimposed on the Trifoglietto products. of deep earthquakes, which outline the narrow belt of Finally, in the fourth phase (Stratovolcano) the the active subduction. defi nitive stabilization of the plumbing system led to The fi eld-trip will end with a visit to the Volcano the construction of the main stratovolcano, Ellittico, Etna. Mount Etna is the largest European basaltic which forms the bulk of the present edifi ce. Four stratovolcano and it is located along the eastern coast caldera-forming Plinian eruptions, occurring at about of Sicily in Southern Italy, reaching an altitude of 15 ka, marked the end of Ellittico’s activity (Coltelli about 3340 m. The volcanism in the Etnean region et al., 2000). During the Holocene persistent basaltic occurred during the Middle Pleistocene, about 600 volcanic activity formed the Mongibello volcano, ka, in a complex geodynamic setting developed on whose products cover at least 85% of the Mount the frontal nappes of the Apenninic-Maghrebian Etna area. They mainly consist of lava fl ows, which

Chain. In particular, the Mount Etna volcano rests were emitted both from summit vents and parasitic DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume on the Gela-Catania foredeep sediments, consisting cones spread over all the volcano’s ﬂ anks. The of a Plio-Pleistocene regressive succession, along the spatial distribution of the eruptive vents evidenced south and southeastern margins, and on the Apenninic- the presence of at least four main weak zones of Maghrebian units along the north and northwest ones the volcanic ediﬁ ce in which the propagation of the (Di Stefano and Branca, 2002) (Fig. 2). feeder dikes occurred along NE, W and S trends. On the basis of new stratigraphic data Branca et al. The analysis of the historic eruptive activity of the (2003) subdivided the almost continuous eruptive Mongibello volcano has evidenced that even though activity in the Etnean region into four distinct it is characterized by almost continuous eruptions

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini 1982; Calvari andGroppelli,1996). alluvial body, locallynamed“Chiancone”(Romano, (Calvari etal.,1998)andbyawidefan-shape detritic- They arerepresentedbyadebrisavalanche deposit immediately eastward ofthe VdB areauptothecoast. deposits associatedwiththiscollapseevent outcrop of the VdB (Calvari etal,1998). The volcaniclastic fl radically modifi morphological settingoftheMongibellovolcano was 13 katothePresent(DelCarloetal.,2003). The and several strombolianevents, occurringfromabout lapilli andashoriginatedbyoneplinian,24subplinian of thevolcano consist oftephralayersscoriaceous deposits thatcover discontinuouslytheeasternfl 2500 m(BrancaandDelCarlo,2003). The pyroclastic fl from thesummitvents over thelastfourcenturies,46 The 17 city, which combinetoproduce amagnifi cent effect. and whiteare thetwodominatingcolours ofthe of themare ofplaster, paintedtolooklike lava.Black color ofmostmonumentsandbuildings intown.Some the townitself. Reminders ofitspresence isthedark forth great fl ows oflava,ononeoccasiondowninto has betrayed thetrustoflocalpeople, sending overshadowed byMountEtna,thevolcanothatoften visitors from allover Sicilyandbeyond. Cataniais beloved Patron Saint. The event draws thousandsof through thecity’s historicalcentre, celebrating their Saint Agatha, whenahuge crowd ofbelievers parade takes placeevery yearfrom 3to5February inhonorof (1840-1922). A great, verylonged-for celebration Bellini (1801-1835)andthewriterGiovanni Verga home tosuch great artistsasthecomposer Vincenzo Palermo, withits350,000inhabitants,Cataniawas A renowned portandSicily’s secondlargest city, after Catania or viaRome(overnight stayinCatania) Catania intheevening bydirectfl 28 August 2004. Arrival attheFontanarossa airportof Field itinerary specimen ofthepastages, which are hidden,with Baroque buildings covered nearlyevery ruined 1768), whodesignedthemostprestigious buildings. in bythearchitect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702- ground. A sumptuousreconstruction followed,starred decades later(in1693),anearthquake razed ittothe a devastating lavariver fl owed intothecity;afew Catania. First (in1669),followingEtna’s eruption, ank collapse,whichproducedthewidedepression ank eruptionsoccurredfromanaltitudelower than th centurywasparticularlycatastrophic for ed about9kabyacatastrophiceastern ight fromFlorence ank Isis. covered withhieroglyphics thatcelebrate thecultof and bears onitsback anancientEgyptianobelisk square sincethe1500s;itstandsonastoneplatform elephant, perhapsofByzantineepoch, hasgraced the obelisk inPiazzaMinerva,Rome. The black lava conceived in1735,andrecalls Bellini’s famous now the Town Hall. The Fontana dell’Elefantewas the elegant Palazzo Senatorioordegli Elefanti, the lovely BadiadiS. Agata. OntheNorthsidestands dominates thesquare. Ontheleft,slightlysetback, is fl anked bytheBishop’s Palace andthePorta Uzeda, Chierici andPardo palaces. The Cathedral façade, the fi ne 1800s Amenano Fountain, partlyoffset bythe which isthesymboloftown.OnSouthside Fontana dell’Elefante(theFountain oftheElephant) impart itagreat elegance. At itscentre risesthe surrounded bymagnifi cent Baroque buildings which designed bythecelebrated architect Vaccarini, PIAZZA DELDUOMOistheveryheartofcity, buildings andthe city’s heart. the exception ofafew remnants –belowthenew Subject: theMesozoic-Cenozoicbasinalsequences ( 29 August2004 Figure 5-Structuralscheme ofsouth-easternSicily ) DAY 1 24-05-2004, 16:10:51 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

of M. Judica (Ionides) in the frontal wedge of the Stop 1.1: Apenninic-Maghrebian Chain. Catania - Gela Mt. Judica–Lavina Valley. foredeep. Stratigraphy of the carbonate platform and Stratigraphy of the Mt. Judica sequence. Tectonic volcanics of the Hyblean Foreland. setting of the basinal sequences (Ionides). (Overnight stay in Siracusa). Geological Map nr.1: “Carta geologica della Sicilia Geological maps: centro-orientale” 1:50,000 scale. n°1 – “Carta geologica della Sicilia centro-orientale” 1:50.,000 scale. The Mt. Judica Unit is characterized by a mostly n°2 – “Carta geologica della Sicilia sud-orientale“ 1: pelagic Meso-Cenozoic succession (Fig. 6), 100,000 scale. starting with claystones, calcilutites, calcarenites and microbreccias with halobids, ammonoids and 800 Starting from Catania conodonts, known as the Mufara Formation or “Flysch Carnico”, and ascribed by Lentini (1974) DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume From Catania to Mt. Judica. Out of Catania we cross to the aonoides Zone (Carnian). The “Mufara Fm” the Catania Plain (Fig. 5), a vast alluvial plain located commonly occurs at the base of the different tectonic between the Etna Volcano (on the right side) and the units grouped as Ionides, as well as the Panormide Hyblean Foreland (on the left), that is characterized Units. In the Mt. Judica Unit the “Mufara Fm” by a Quaternary regressive sequence, composed of upgrades to 200-300-m-thick cherty limestones clays, sands and conglomerates, inﬁ lling the Gela- with halobids (Scillato Fm) ascribed to the Norian- Catania Foredeep. We are travelling westwards, to Raethian age. Nodular facies are common. The Lias- reach the Mt. Judica-Mt. Scalpello mountains .

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini characterized byslumpsandbreccias,indicating as intheoceanicenvironment. The upperpartis the environmental conditionsdidnotchangeatall, interval (notlessthan100millionyears), inwhich the ccdlimitandrepresentsavery longchronological deep water basin. This sequencewas depositedbelow of radiolariteswithvolcanics, thatweredepositedina Cretaceous interval isrepresentedby10upto100m Scalpello units Figure 6-StratigraphiccolumnsoftheMt.Judica-Mt. Figure 7-N-Sorientedgeologiccross-sectionoftheMt. Judica-Mt. Scalpelloimbricatethrust. carbonates andvolcanics. is characterizedbyMioceneuptoQuaternary Gela-Catania Foredeep. The margin oftheforeland overlies thePliocenetopsection covers ofthe Pliocene sediments. The Gela Nappetectonically Upper Mioceneclays,Messinianevaporites, and of allochthonousvaricoloured claysandsandstones, up oftheGelaNappe,atectonicmelangecomposed margin oftheforeland. The frontalwedgeismade wedge ofthethrustbelttoreachoutcropping From Mt.Judica toScordia. Foredeep. topsection levels (MessiniantoPliocene)oftheGela the deepseatedExternal Thrust Systemandthe with themformsembricates(Fig.7)overlying Sicilide andNumidianFlyschnappes,altogether The Mt.JudicaUnittectonicallyisoverridden by Oligocene –Serravallian age. thick marlyclayswithglauconiticsandstonesofLate Eocene –EarlyOligocene,gradingupto300-400-m- limestones (“Scaglia”facies) tracedtotheMiddle 100-m-thick red,greenish,orwhtishmarlsandmarly transform faults. These depositsareoverlain by10- instability, probablyduetomovements along products. Itisalsoacompletesectionrepresentingthe between Plio-Pleistocenetholeiiticandalkaliclava place toobserve thestratigraphicrelationships The Vallone Loddierosectionrepresentsanexcellent By G.Sturiale. Scordia-Loddiero Valley Stop 1.2: 13 Sicilia sud-orientale“ Geological Mapnr. 2 00

Lunch 1:100,000scale. . – “ Carta geologica della We crosstheexternal 24-05-2004, 16:10:57 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 8 - Stratigraphic of the breccias is most evident in the inclination of column of Vallone larger, elongate pillows, but also in the variations in Loddiero. the granulometry and lithology. All pillows and many pillow fragments have glassy crusts about 1 cm thick; the surrounding hyaloclastite matrix consists of small fragments of glass and pillows. The colour is orange- yellow due to a high degree of palagonitization. The thickness is 7.5 m. Subaerial lavas, grey in colour, overlie the submarine unit with a horizontal contact. The transition from submarine to subaerial products appears to be due to the rapid fi lling of shallow marine basin. These lavas occur as a succession of individual fl ow units, with thickness varying from 1 to 2 m, and show pāhoehoe structures at the surface. The thickness of the subaereal unit is almost 7 m. At the top of the subaerial fl ow lies an irregular erosional surface, fi lled with a fi ning-upward succession of bioclastic packstones and lava pebbles. Some of the pebbles are coated with coralline algae. The basal conglomerate grades upwards to 3 m of cream coloured packestones (Fig. 8). At the top of the carbonate level two thin dark grey tephra layers occur. They probably represent the onset of the eruptive phase related with the alkalic products of the Poggio Vina formation. Foraminifera and nannofossils indicate an Early Pleistocene age (Emilian) (Pedley et al. 2001). The Early Pleistocene carbonate are overlain by lava fl ows, black in colour, showing a typical columnar jointing (Fig. 8). The contact between the lavas and the carbonate bed is marked, locally, by the occurrence of pillow level intruded in the carbonate sediment. The thickness of the alkalic lava fl ows is up to 10 m in the quarry area, but exceeds 100 m in the western sector of the Loddiero valley. The Loddiero section is closed by cream coloured plane-bedded wackestones and fi ne grained packstones (Early Pleistocene). These carbonates are Plio-Quaternary succession of the northern margin of part of a much more extensive regional development the Hyblean Foreland. which encircles the Hyblean Plateau. The section is exposed in a quarry on the left bank of Along the road from the Loddiero quarry to Scordia, Vallone Loddiero, 3 kilometres southwest of the town erosional channels cut the underlying micropackstones of Scordia (Fig. 5). For the literature see Schmincke et and wackestones. The channels vary from 1 to several DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume al. (1997) and Pedley et al. (2001). metres in width and are fi lled by coarse grained The base of the Loddiero section is composed of packestones. This carbonate facies grades up to pillow lavas and pillow breccias (Fig. 8). The unit grey-blue clays, fi lling the structural depressions and shows bedding, with strata dipping 25-30° toward the fl ooring the Lentini Lake. east. The strata consist of alternating intervals with distinct facies defi ned by varying contents of pillows From Scordia to Sortino. On the way it is possible (mostly isolated) and pillow fragments embedded to observe the Pleistocene volcanics underlying within a hyaloclastite matrix. The apparent bedding the yellowish biocalcarenites. The lava fl ows are

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini middle ofthe13 been inhabitedsincetheBronze Age. Towards the is probable thatthesite small communitiesinrock-hewn dwellingsthere. It into Pantalica bytheByzantines,whoinstalled had notyetbeendiscovered). New lifewasbreathed probably usingbronze orstoneaxes,giventhatiron limestone cliffs (excavated atthecostofhuge efforts, save foranincredible numberoftombsinthesteep Syracusans before thefoundationof Akrai in664BC, original town,which wasprobably destroyed bythe blessing oftheirlastking, Hyblon), BC byagroup ofcolonistsfrom Megara, withthe (founded, itisalleged, asMegara Hyblaeain728 grouped inPantalica. Identifi ed Anapo Valley, are characterized bynumerous The deepcanyonsofthisarea, and,inparticular, the Pantalica convex lines(18C). front andabell-tower, fabricatedwithconcaveand enclosed withinasecludedsquare, hasaharmonious The church, belongingtotheMontevergine monastery, ceiling andapseisfrescoed (1777-78)byCrestadoro. strikingly effective, especiallyatsunset. The interior top, anopenbalustrade. The overall compositionis of fruit;alevel articulatedbystatues;and,alongthe ornamented withvegetation decorations andgarlands façade consistsofadoorwayflanked byspiral columns lozenges, hasafine façadeofwarmgoldenstone. The The ChiesaMadre fronted byaforecourt cobbledwith hill, thetownislaidoutonarectilinear grid-like plan. with onemeansofaccess. defensible inthatthey comprised twodeepgorges Calcinara initsfi nal section)were naturally river, together withtheCavagrande (which becomes The narrow valley through which ran the Anapo waves ofsettlers, andtherefore nolonger secure. at thistimewassubjectedtoattacks andregular regions toachosen siteatPantalica, forthecoast inland from theiroriginalsettlementsinthecoastal Completely rebuilt inthe18 Sortino canyons. continues uponthecarbonatePlateau,cutbydeep carbonates, controlledbyNE-SWorientedfaults, and the itinerarycrossesslopeofMiocene depressions. Ahead weclimbthecarbonateplateau: upgrade totheblueclays,preserved inthestructural the sedimentarystructuresofcalcarenites,that mainly subaerialandtheoldmorphologyinfl th CenturyBC,theSicanimoved

Today, littlesurvives ofthe continued tobeoccupied th Centuryonthetopofa

as theancientHybla

Pantalica has uenced tombs , 20 completely abandoneduntilthebeginning ofthe during the Arab andNormanperiods,before being in thenorthandnorthwestnecropoli (13th-11 necropoli through successiveperiods. The earliest honeycomb thewallsofthisquarrytomake ﬁ ve began excavating. More than5,000burial chambers Geological mapnr. 2 related tothevent. of thepyroclastic products,andaerealdistribution volcanic activity, sedimentologicalcharacteristics Subjects: LateMiocenehydromagmatic explosive Giardini diatreme. Sortino–Outer borderoftheCosta Stop 1.3: into themore usualextended groups. are organised intocompactfamilyunits,rather than distinctive aboutthesetombsisthewayinwhich they most recent (850-730BC)are rectangular. What is Centuries BC)are ellipticalinshape, whilethe from thevolcanic centre(Fig.9). The distalfacies is facies, whosedistribution is relatedtotheirdistance the volcanoclastics allowed ustodistinguishthree The analysisofthesedimentologicalfeatures sud-orientale, 1:100,000scale. Plateau. (Qc)-Calcarenites,Quaternary;(Pv)-Volcanites, Pliocene; (Ms)-Lumachellae limestones,LateTortonian- th Early Messinian;(Mv)-CarlentiniFm.:volcanoclastics Figure 9-StratigraphicoutlineoftheeasternHyblean Century, whenthearchaeologist Paolo Orsi Cretaceous-Eocene; (Cv)volcanites, LateCretaceous. (v), biohermallimestones(b),lacustrinedeposits(dl), Oligocene-Middle Miocene;(Cc)-Calcarenites,Late Tortonian; (O-Mc)-Algae and Briozoacalcarenites,

: Carta geologica dellaSicilia

24-05-2004, 16:11:05 th

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 10 - Geologic profi le across the diatreme of Costa Giardini. represented by laminar, fi ne volcanoclastites mixed we cross small outcrops of diatomitic lacustrine with carbonate sediments, not visible here; they are deposits and lava fl ows of the same volcanic activity interbedded with bioherms of Tortonian age, which and successively we’ll travel along the Anapo Valley demonstrate the marine shallow water conditions to reach Siracusa. This valley goes out from a deep (Fig. 9). Along the border of the diatreme the facies canyon and the river fl ows in a tectonic depression, consists of cross bedded and laminated layers, locally the Floridia Graben, fi lled by Quaternary deposits. showing impact sags and including fragments of the carbonate substratum and lherzolitic xenolithes. This Stop 1.5: facies is well exposed in this stop and is considered Syracuse. to be the product of hydromagmatic activity. A third The aim is to show the archaeological site in the facies, a very proximal product, is exposed along the geological setting. inner walls and on the fl oor of the depression and is The Greek theatre is excavated in the Middle-Late characterized by large carbonate xenolithes, in which algal (rhodolithic) limestones of the eastern Hyblean fragments of bioherms and Cretaceous gasteropods Plateau, directly overlying the Late Cretaceous have been identifi ed (vent opening breccia). volcanics.

Stop 1.4: Overnight in Syracuse Diatreme of Costa Giardini. This stop is devoted to the morphology of the diatreme (Fig. 10). The Costa Giardini area is characterized by a circular morphological depression (about 800 m wide in diameter), that can be interpreted as a diatreme, dissected in its southern edge by a series of NE-SW trending faults. The contours of the diatreme are made

up of the Miocene limestones, deeply eroded, and the DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume depression is ﬁ lled by volcanoclastics with an intense cultivation of orange trees. The contacts between the limestones of the “ring” and the volcanoclastics show some preserved steeply inclined surfaces, that have been interpreted as the inner walls of the original hydromagmatic volcanic centre.

From Sortino to Siracusa. Going out of the diatreme, Figure 11 - Panoramic view of Ortigia island.

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini Along thehighway fromtheCataniaPlain toward theforedeep. cross againtheedgeoriginatedbydownfaulting northeastern sectoroftheHybleanForeland andto Sea. Leaving Siracusait’s possibletostillobserve the on thenortherncoastlineinfrontof Tyrrhenian Central-Eastern Sicily, reachingtheCefalù village of physicaleffort. We crossthroughavast areaof excursion isavery longtrip,requiringalittlebit From Syracuse to Tremonzelli. 7 Ovid, Metamorphoses Between twoharbours theirgreat battlements. Where settlers oncefrom Corinth‘sithsmusbuilt Syracuse Madonie” Geological mapnr. 3–“ (Overnight stayinCefalù). evaporitic deposits. (Alpine Tethydes), Neogenesilicoclasticand Numidian Flysch,internalbasinalSicilidesequences (internal Ionides),Panormide carbonateplatforms, Subject: Marginal sequencesoftheImeresebasin (30 August2004) in themostadvantageous position. defended bytheCastleofEuryalus,strategically built of thecityispartcalledEpipolae, guarded and Tyche –fortuneorluck). Dominatingtheremainder dedicated tothegoddessoffortune(from theGreek lies Tyche, so-calledbecausethere wasatemplethere Paradiso withinitsboundaries.Ontheeasternside the theatre, theEarofDionysiusandLatomiadel town’, isoneofthemostevocative quarters claiming The districtofNeapolis,literally meaningthe‘new name inheritedfrom Antiquity. stretches aﬂ at area called Akradina –yetanother the medieval andBaroque eras. Just behindOrtygia where timeseemstostandstillsomewhere between that canbeexplored amongthestreets oftheisland, background, there exists anotherlessobviouspast to seeandenjoy. Alongside thisdramatic historical left anumberofvestiges forthemoderndayvisitor between Athens andCarthage; apastwhich has Greek past,aseriesofvalianttyrants, therivalry east coast;itsnameissynonymouswithanancient Ortygia upon thesea,rallying herself around theislandof Syracuse (built in734B.C.)hasforever depended 30

Starting from Syracuse (Fig. 11) 1:50,000scale. , overlooking awonderfulbayonthe DAY 2 Carta geologica delle This secondday (Figs. 3;4). Varicoloured Clays),goingout toward Tremonzelli of Alpine Tethydes (NumidianFlyschsandstonesand evolving toEarlyPliocenemarls(Fig.12),thenappes the LateMioceneclaysandevaporitic sequence regressive succession. The tripcontinuesthrough Pliocene claysandcalcarenites,whichrepresenta at 1000mabove thesealevel andbuilr upon Middle between two cities,EnnaandCalascibetta,located in age,restuncomformably. The highway passes (Figs.3;4). Clays,sandsandevaporites, LateMiocene the MiddleMiocenetoplevels ofthissequence Unit) oftheSicilideComplex tectonicallyrestupon 7). Varicoloured ClaysandNumidianFlysch(Nicosia as aS-verging thrust(Geologicalmapnr. 1andFig. limestones oftheMt.Judicasequence,interpreted the leftside)thereisanoutcropof Triassic cherty In proximityofCatenanuova Mt.Scalpello(on to thethrustbeltof Apenninic-Maghrebian Chain. characterized bygentlemorphology. The hillsbelong toward Palermo thelandscapeofCentralSicilyis Figure 12-StratigraphiclogrepresentingtheLate Miocene-Early PliocenedepositsofcentralSicily. 24-05-2004, 16:11:11 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Overall, the architecture of the Sicilides is that of Cenozoic cover of the ASSU. The geometric relations a tectonic wedge, progressively thinning, until it probably are the result of a progressive accretionary DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume disappears, below the Kabilo-Calabride Chain. process, accompanied by a general detachment of Inside this wedge at least four tectonic units have the Tertiary terrigenous covers, ending with out-of been distinguished: two made up by Mesozoic sequence thrusting of the Mesozoic sequences (Fig. sequences, the Mt. Soro Unit and “Argille Scagliose 4). superiori” Unit (ASSU), and two Paleogene up to The Sicilides tectonically overlie the Late Oligocene Early Miocene successions, the Nicosia Subunit and – Early Miocene Numidian Flysch, which represents the Troina Subunit The former is probablythe original the original cover of the Imerese sequence (the cover of the MT. Soro Flysch; the latter represents the External Numidian Flysch), but they involve some

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini latter, theso-calledfar-travelled NumidianFlysch, palaeogeographic domains(theNicosiaUnit). This Numidian sequencesbelongingtotheinnermost Figure 13-StratigraphiclogoftheImereseUnits(Ionides). the PizzoCarbonaraSubunits. been distinguished(seeFig.14),theMt.Quacellaand Two different sequences, ascribedtosubunits, have and toNumidianFlysch. by silicoclastics,referredtoastheGratteriFormation brought theplatformtobeuncomformablyoverlain of theplatform.Incipientorogeneticprocesses sedimented, sometimesinfi Upper Cretaceous–Eocenepelagiccalcilutites platform (Cefalù). With thesubsequentdrowning, rudist patchreefs)colonizedtheremnantsof Cretaceous lagoontoopen-shelfdeposits(including the Late Triassic uptoMalm(Stop2.4).Upper back reeflagoon,tocomplex) developed from Formation. Carbonateplatformdeposits(tidalfl euxinic marlsandcalcarenites,known astheMufara The basallevel, adetachmentlevel, consistsofgrey have developed duringtheEarly-MiddleMiocene. emplacement ontotheImereseUnitisthoughtto S PizzoDipilo–Carbonararidge,andthe Madonie MountainsandcropsoutalongtheN- homonymous tectonicunit,formstheEastern The Panormide Platform(Fig.14),relatedtothe Colla Fm,basalhorizonoftheNumidianFlysch. Caltavuturo Fm)andtheUpperOligocenePortella Mt. Judicasequence),Eocenepelagicsediments(the intercalations (whichdifferentiates themfromthe to Cretaceousradiolariteswithcarbonatebreccia (Scillato andFanusi Fms),followed byJurassic limestones anddolorudites,Late Triassic inage (Fig. 13)shows, fromthebottomtotop,cherty the Panormide Platform. The stratigraphiccolumn Unit, originallysedimentedinanareacontiguousto The IonidesarehererepresentedbytheImerese Unit, visibleontherightside. underlying thecarbonateplatformofPanormide sequence, belongingtotheIonides,tectonically Cervi, characterizedbyabasinalMesozoic-Tertiary the ImereseUnitforminganticlineofMt.dei Madonie Mountainswecanobserve ontheleft In thisgeneralview ofthesouthernslope Madonie” Varicoloured Clays. crops outalongtheway inachaoticmelangewiththe Geological mapnr. 3: overrode theburied External Thrust System. representing mesocenozoictectonicunits,which of theMadonieMountains,locatedinnorthernSicily, The purposeistoshow ageneralview fromsouth Bivio Tremonzelli. Stop 2.1: 1:50,000scale. “ lling palaeokarstfi Carta geologica delle 24-05-2004, 16:11:19 ssures at to at

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

From Mandarini Valley to Portella di Mandarini- Pizzo di Corco area. The road cuts the Mandarini Clays. The Upper Oligocene sandy shales contain some amygdaloid or lens-shaped intercalations of carbonate breccias, that were interpreted by Ogniben (1960) as a wildﬂ ysch related to the Panormide nappe emplacement. The elements of this breccia, cm to dm in size, mostly cobble to boulder, consist of reefoidal or shallow-water carbonates and they derive from the progressive dismantling of the Panormide platform; they originated due to the combined effects of the synsedimentary tectonics and the eustatic lowering. Stop 2.3: Pizzo di Corco area. Megabreccia and structural setting of the Panormide Platform. The stop is devoted to observing the breccias intercalated in the Mandarini Clays and to explaining the topsection of the Panormide Unit.

1250 Lunch (Rifugio Pomieri)

From Rif. Pomieri to P. Battaglia. The road crosses the Panormide unit: Numidian Flysch, Triassic dolomites, and a tectonic window, in which the top levels of the underlying Imerese Unit crop out. Stop 2.4: Figure 14 - Stratigraphic log of the Panormide Units. Piano della Battaglia. From Bivio Tremonzelli to Petralia Village. On the The Upper Jurassic coralgal limestones of the way, varicoloured clays (Sicilides), grey-bluish Panormide Platform. Along the road fossiliferous clays, sands and conglomerates, small bioherms and limestones crop out. They contain colonial corals, evaporites, Late Miocene in age, crop out. At the end Ellipsactinia, Echinoids, Ammonoids, Sponges and we pass through the Mandarini Valley on the eastern are referred to facies of the margin of the platform. ﬂ ank of the Panormide Platform. From Piano della Battaglia to P. Colla. We go Stop 2.2: down the Pizzo Carbonara platform, observing the Mandarini Valley. succession from the top to the bottom. The road Numidian Flysch and relationships with the crosses ﬁ rst the Jurassic limestones, the Triassic underlying Mesozoic carbonate platform. Late dolomitic breccias, and then the marls and marly Miocene-Pliocene tectonics. limestones of the Mufara Fm (Middle-Late Trias). The stop allows us to observe the quartzarenites of Beneath the Panormide Nappe we can observe the the Numidian Flysch and the structural setting of the “Argille di Portella Colla” Member, the top-level of DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume Panormide Unit outcropping on the other side of the the Imerese Unit. valley (Fig. 14). The Numidian sequence belongs to the Oligocene-Early Miocene original cover of the Stop 2.5: carbonate platform. The provenance of the quartz is Portella Colla. thought to be from craton areas. General view of the Panormide Nappe. This stop Geological map nr. 3: Carta geologica delle represents a classic locality, where it is very clear Madonie; 1:50,000 scale. the superposition of the Panormide sequence, the Mufara Fm, cataclastic dolomites, reefoidal

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini red clayswith coeval withMandariniClays,gradingdownwards to of Oligocenebrownish shaleswithquartzosesilts, limestones, ontotheImeresetop-levels, whichconsist Isnello. Stop 2.7: calcirudites andcalcarenites(Calcariad is characterizedby50-70-m–thickredeposited hemipelagic sediments(Fig.13). The succession carbonates intercalatedwithinthepelagicor sequence isshown, characterizedbyredeposited At thisstoptheCretaceousinterval oftheImerese Imerese stratigraphy. Mandria delConte Stop 2.6: Along theroadwecanobserve theUpperJurassic Jurassic tidalplainfacies ofthePanormide Platform. Mt. Puraccia(PizzoDipilo). Stop 2.7: and PizzoDipilo. the Panormide Platform, betweenPizzoCarbonara The villageislocatedinatectonicdepressioninside Numidian FlyschattheOligocene-Mioceneboundary. an originalvertical evolution comparedtothe calcarenites andquartzarenites. These latterindicate and iscomposedofanalternationclays,marls, in thedisplacementofitscarbonatesubstratum, Portella Collamemberseenbefore.Butittookpart cover ofthePanormide Platform,coeval withthe This formationrepresentstheoriginalOligocene At thevillageGratteriFmiswellexposed. structural settingoftheplatform. Subjects: Tertiary cover ofthePanormide Platform, Piano ZucchiandendsinIsnello. (Imerese) andPizzoCarbonara(Panormide), through goes down inthevalley beween Mt.deiCervi From Mandria delContetoward Isnello. Panormide Platform. belong toabasinalenvironment, but proximaltothe carbonate platform. Thus theobserved facies should deposited onaslopealongthescarpsofanadjacent calcarenites (Caltavuturo Fm). appear tobesiliciﬁ benthonics. Inmany casesthebioclasticlimestones algae, corals,hydrozoans,orbitolinidaeandother wackestones tograinstones.Bioclastsconsistof green toredradiolarianmarls,andbioclastic followed byalternatingthinlystratiﬁ

Nummulites . ed. This sequencehasbeen and

Discocyclina Ellipsactinia e argillites, ed The road -bearing ), stone that,setback behindaseriesofpalmtrees, The Romanesquecathedral isbuilt ofagold-coloured cathedral. Roger IIwho,in1131,decidedtoinitiateworkonthe meaning headorchief. Itsawitsheyday under derives directly from theGreek “Kephaloidion”, of narrow streets. OfGreek origin,its current name (“La Rocca”),landmarked byacathedral andamaze between theseaandacraggy limestonepromontory originally aﬁshing vill the road runningnorthfrom Palermo, Cefalùwas Enjoying asplendidpositionandclearlyvisiblefrom Cefalu’ Overnight inCefalù hundreds ofliterspersecond)gushout(Fig.15). data: atthebaseof“Rocca”somesprings(many This interpretationissupportedbyhydrogeological subsurface tothecalcareousmountainsseenbefore. that itisnotanisolatedblock,but it’s connectedin a patternoffaults. Fieldwork hasdemonstrated a Cretaceousrudist-bearinglimestone,boundedby at thebaseofRocca. The “RoccadiCefalù” is out alongtheway. Cefalù isabeautiful villagebuilt Tusa Fm.andReitanoFlysch),discontinuouslycrop underlying someklippenofSicilideUnits(Tuﬁ quartzarenites oftheNumidianFlysch,tectonically down toreachthe Tyrrhenian coastline.Claysand From IsnellotoCefalù. marginal sequences like thoseobserved inthestop2.4. and upwards intolagoonalfacies andisheteropicwith This cyclothemic tidal-subtidalfacies gradeslaterally crop outandshow beautifulexamples ofoncolites. of stromatolitic,algalandgastropodgrey limestones interval ofthePanormide Platform.Herealternations Figure 15-The age, Toward Cefalù, theroadgoes now asmalltown,perched cathedral of Cefalù 24-05-2004, 16:11:24 ti di ti STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

seems to merge with the limestone hillside called La (Overnight stay in Capo d’Orlando) Rocca rising behind. The edifi ce was built between Geological maps: 1131 and 1240 at King Roger II’s behest, following a nr. 4 – Carta geologica della Provincia di Messina, 1: vow he made when on the point of being shipwrecked 50,000 scale; when returning from Naples. It is more evidently nr. 5 – Carta geologica del settore occidentale dei Mt. Norman than its counterpart in Palermo, notably in Peloritani, 1:25,000 scale. the Moorish style of the façade framed by two towers and in the upper apse fl anked by smaller ones. The 800 Starting from Capo d’Orlando façade, completed in 1204, is divided into two storeys by a portico which was rebuilt in the 15th century by From Cefalù to Bivio Pettineo. Starting from Cefalù the Lombard architect Ambrogio da Como. The upper and leaving the “Rocca di Cefalù”, we travel along section is fi nely ornamented with blind arcading. The the shoreline, where outcrops of Numidian Flysch twin towers, built on a square plan, rise through levels (original cover of the Panormide Platform) can be with single and double openings that culminate in observed. crenellations. Below the portico is the central Porta On the Tyrrhenian coastline the Numidian Flysch is dei Re, the ancient main entrance to the building. tectonically overlain by Sicilide Nappes, Varicoloured The church has a Roman-cross fl oorplan divided into Clays, Tusa Tuffi tes and Reitano Flysch, originally three naves by columns bearing fi ne capitals carved deposited in the Alpine Tethys realm. in the Sicilian-Norman style. The chancel is adorned with wonderful mosaics, in a spectacular array of Stop 3.1: colours on a gold background. The eye is immediately Road 113, junction with the road to attracted to the huge majestic image of the Christ the village of Pettineo. Pantocrator. Sedimentological and petrological characteristics of the Reitano Flysch. The Reitano Flysch represents the DAY 3 Early-Middle Miocene cover of the Sicilide nappes, (31 August 2004) deposited before the tectonic emplacement onto the Subject: fl ysch successions of the Nebrodi-Peloritani Numidian Flysch. belt, relationships between the Kabilo-Calabride chain and the Maghrebian chain, metamorphic units From B. Pettineo to S. Stefano di Camastra. The trip of the basement and Meso-Cenozoic covers. continues until reaching the village of S.Stefano di Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini Stop 3.2: shops linedalongitsstreets, offering pots,vases, painted ceramics, asattestedtobythemyriadofsmall Santo StefanodiCamastra iswell-knownforitshand- Santo StefanodiCamastra S.Stefano diCamastra . breccias); m limestones, Nummulitic Ammonites-bearing crinoidal limestones, of St.MarcoUnit(red condensed sequence “Scaglia”; SM) Cretaceous-Eocene Biancone facies;e) Rosso” andMajolica- calcareous “Ammonitico Lower Cretaceous Rosso”; d)Malmto marly “Ammonitico facies; c)UpperLias Middle Lias“Medolo” limestones); b)Lower- (dolomites, black and platform carbonates Lower Lias“Verrucano” Hercynian basement;a) Flysch. CO –Capod’Orlando of theS.MarcoUnit; – epimetamorphites Stops 3.3and3.6):m (Rocche Rossesection; condensed succession overridden St.Marco sequence andofthe Taormina sedimentary column oftheLongi- Figure 16-Stratigraphic Camastra. 3

2 – 12 Provincia diMessina, ( the Ionianside,near Taormina (Stop4.6) Marco Unit(Fig.16). The formerisexposed onlyin the Longi-Taormina Unit(lesscondensed)andtheSt. from thebottomtotop:CapoS.AndreaUnit; covers. Three tectonicunitshave beendistinguished more orlesscondensedMeso-Cenozoicsedimentary epimetamorphic complex. They arecharacterizedby The lowermost nappescanbegroupedinan middle-high grademetamorphites. highest tectonicnappe(the Aspromonte Unit)shows top ofthestructuralsequence;thatmeans metamorphic rocks,goingprogressively toward the The crystallinenappesdisplaythehighestgrade covers, whichpredominantlycrop outalongtheway. of theoriginalMesozoic-Tertiary sedimentary up byHercynian basementnappeswithremains to entertheKabilo-Calabridedomain. This ismade and thenwe’ll leave the Apenninic-Maghrebian units Along theway itispossibletoseeNumidianoutcrops, From S.StefanodiCamastra toMilitelloRosmarino. maiolica. containing anumberofgraves ornamentedwith was usedfortwoyears only, between1878and1880, Ceramica), istheCimitero Vecchio, acemeterythat furnishings. Outoftown(beyond theIstitutoperla original tiledﬂ oors, frescoed ceilingsand1700s Several rooms inthebuilding haveconservedtheir group ofwarriors gradually sinkingintotheground. (departing), ontherightofentrance, depictinga honor inthemuseumisgiventoLorenzini’s Andare now holdingtheMuseodellaCeramica. The placeof goes toPalazzo Sergio, oncetheDuke’s Palace, taste. Among itsmainbuildings, aspecialmention plates andceramic trinkets tosuitevery needand and carbonateplatformlimestones,followed upwards conglomerates andsandstones(Verrucano facies), the outcropsarerepresentedbyEarlyLiassicred In thevalley, andespecially ontheotherside, unit ingeologicalmapnr.5). (Fig.16 andStratigraphiccolumnofLongi-Taormina complicated tectonics. along theRosmarino Valley, andtoillustratethevery covers oftheLongi-Taormina Unitinanoverview The aimofthisstopistoshow thesedimentary Vallone Rosmarino. Stop 3.3: Geological mapnr. 4 00

Lunch

1:50,000scale). – Carta geologica della 24-05-2004, 16:11:29 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 17 - Panoramic overview of the tectonic contact between the Kabilo-Calabride units and the Sicilide units.

by Ammonites-bearing marly limestones (Medolo thick carbonate sequences of the Calabride (Fig. facies) and Rosso Ammonitico, Middle-Late Lias 17), but a further tectonic unit, the Argille Scagliose in age. This sequence ends with red marls (Scaglia Superiori (ASS), is sandwiched between them. The Facies), upgrading to an Eocene-Oligocene ﬂ ysch Tertiary intervals of the Sicilide Complex, including and is overridden by the St. Marco Unit. This latter is the Reitano Flysch seen in Stop compose the wedge characterized by an epimetamorphic basement with a cropping out in the southern slope of the Nebrodi condensed sedimentary cover, mainly represented by Mountains and are not visible here. fractured blocks of Jurassic red limestones (“Rosso di S.Marco”). Stop 3.5: From Militello to Alcara Li Fusi we travel along the Contrada Gazzana. tectonic contact between the Mt. Soro Flysch and The panorama shows from the bottom to the top the Kabilo-Calabride units. The Mt. Soro Flysch is the nappe-pile: the Mt. Soro Flysch, the ASS, and a Cretaceous terrigenous deposit, belonging to the upwards the Calabride nappes. Some klippen (Pizzo Apenninic-Maghrebian Chain, in particular, to the Mueli) demonstrate the tectonic relationships. Sicilide Complex. The geometric relations probably are the result of a progressive accretionary process Stop 3.6: accompanied by a general detachment of the Tertiary Contrada Cillo-Rocche Rosse di Galati. Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume terrigenous covers. From this point of observation it’s possible to appreciate the tectonic style of the Longi and St. Stop 3.4: Marco tectonic units (Fig. 16, or see the stratigraphic Alcara Li Fusi. column in geol. map nr. 5). This stop is aimed at observing the aspect of the Mt. Soro Flysch. It is composed of clays and Stop 3.7: quartzarenites, alternating with marly limestones. St. Basilio (Galati). It is clear that this ﬂ ysch tectonically underlies the In this stop we can observe the aspect of the low-

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini grade metamorphicrocksoftheSt.MarcoUnit(m Subject: Hercynian crystallineunitsandOligo- (1 September2004) paladin. to theHolyLand,decidedcallitafterhisheroic when passingthrough theselandsonapilgrimage renamed Capod’OrlandobyCharlemagne, who, how theancientsettlementof Agathyrnis cametobe Agathyrsus, thesonof Aeolus. The legend alsorelates of itsfoundationatthetime Trojan War by by thesea.Itshistoryisintertwinedwithlegend sits onapromontory ofthesamenamesurrounded A charming littleseasideresort, Capod’Orlando Capo D’orlando (overnight inCapod’Orlando) until reachingCapod’Orlando. village ofGalati,andthendown alongthevalley The ﬁ From GalatitoCapod’Orlando. provided. Further informationaboutthegeneralview canbe eld tripgoesonandproceedsthroughthe DAY 4 3 ). 8 Taormina; 1:25,000scale. Geological mapnr. 8–cartageologicadeiMontidi 25,000 scale. e delsettorenord-orientaledeiMontiPeloritani;1: Geological mapnr. 7–CartageologicadiMessina Patti; 1:25,000scale. Geological mapnr. 6–CartageologicadelGolfodi (overnight stayin Taormina) opening ofthe Tyrrhenian basin.MessinaStrait. Tyrrhenian fault system. Times andmodesofthe Miocene covers oftheKabilo-CalabrideChain.South metaultramaﬁ interlayered minoramphibolites,metahorneblendites, - facies, bandedparagneissandmica-schistwith and consistofuppertolower Variscan amphibolites The metamorphitesbelongtothe Aspromonte Nappe the overlying Capod’OrlandoFlysch. along theCap:highgrademetamorphicrocksand Before leaving thevillage, we’ll visittheoutcrops Capo d’Orlando Stop 4.1: 00

Starting from Capod’Orlando tes, marbleandCa-silicatefels. This . 24-05-2004, 16:11:33 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

metamorphic basement is intruded by Variscan Stop 4.3: plutonites. Tindari. The Flysch is characterized by arkoses and sandy Tindari is a promontory characterized by high grade clays; a conglomerate basal horizon may be present. metamorphic rocks, made up by Variscan migmatitic The sandstones are frequent and form thick banks. augen-gneiss bodies and paragneiss interbedded The sedimentological characteristics and the by Late Variscan aplitic-pegmatitic dikes and by petrological composition indicate that this deposit is medium-grade two micas marbles with associated a turbidite, fed by the crystalline basement. The age micaschists. is Late Oligocene-Early Miocene, and this deposit is (Geological map nr. 6) linked to the Balearic Stage of the orogen. (Geological map nr. 5) Tindari Classical civilization has left here its testimony at From C. d’Orlando to C. Calavà. We leave Capo what was called Tyndaris, in the Theater and the d’Orlando to reach and visit the Capo Calavà area. Basilica. Archaeological excavations have revealed The coastline is a beautiful “falesia” cut in high the regular outlines of the old Greco-Roman city. On metamorphic rocks of the Aspromonte tectonic the ruins of the Acropolis there is now a sanctuary, unit. a pilgrimage center for the entire island, where a miraculous Black Madonna is venerated. Below the Stop 4.2: cape of Tindari extend the lagoons of Marinello. Scoglio Nero–Capo Calavà. According to legend, these pools came into existence Here it’s possible to observe the overthrust of the to save a little girl who otherwise would have fallen to Aspromonte nappe, resting on the Mandanici Unit. her death from the top of the headland because of her In the Aspromonte Unit, gneiss and micaschists faithless mother (unable to believe in a Black Virgin); exhibit anatectic phenomena, from leucocratic she was saved when the sea miraculously withdrew to pockets up to fl ebitic-stromatitic diatessite process. leave a soft landing pad of sand that cushioned her The palaeosome is represented by biotite-muscovite- fall. In 1982, one of the rock pools assumed the profi le sillimanite paraderivates; the neosome consists of a veiled woman identifi ed by the local people as of mobilized quartz and feldspars as ptygmatic the Madonna of the Sanctuary. Occupying a fi ne veins and concordant bands. The Mandanici Unit position high on its own headland, the Greek colony consists of a Variscan low greenschist-facies to low of Tyndaris was founded by the tyrant of Syracuse, amphibolite-facies basement. The basement is made Dionysius the Elder, in 396 BC, to accommodate up of a pelitic-arenaceous sequences with subordinate refugees from Sparta at the end of the Peloponnesian volcanic and carbonate levels. The widespread War (404 BC). Its name may be related to the Dioscuri cataclastic to mylonitic effects in the unit suggest the (Castor and Pollux), and to their father, Tyndareus of occurrence of a signifi cant Alpine tectogenesis. Sparta, husband of Leda and father of Helen who, From C. Calavà to Tindari. Leaving the Capo Calavà according to Homer’s Iliad, indirectly provoked area, we enter the Patti Gulf, which coincides with a the War of Troy. The link between the town and the complicate structural depression, bounded by NW-SE heavenly twins is taken up on coins and mosaics. oriented fault pattern (the South Tyrrhenian System), Thanks to its strategic location, the town could which is the response to the regional shifting of the easily control and defend the stretch of sea between orogenic system toward the Calabrian Arc. The area the Aeolian Islands and Messina, until it fell to the suffered repeated earthquakes, which demonstrate Carthaginians, when its defensive walls, sadly, were that the structures are still active. unable to protect it from the enemy’s ravaging. (Geological map nr. 6: Carta geologica del Golfo di Under the Romans, the city entered a period of DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume Patti, 1:25,000 scale). renewed prosperity, marked by construction of new We cross the structural depression of Patti, controlled buildings -- schools, baths, a theatre, markets -- by faults of the South Tyrrhenian System and fi lled and the restoration or modifi cation of older ones. by Miocene-Pleistocene deposits. Along the way the The theatre, built by Greeks, was modifi ed so as Capo d’Orlando Flysch and the crystalline basement to accommodate the demands of its new audience. crop out. Thereafter, it progressively declined, notably following a landslide that destroyed part of the city, as well as

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini after the Arab conquestinthe9 century, insuch awayastotake fulladvantage ofthe The theatre wasbuilt bytheGreeks inthelate4 barrel-vaulted passage spanningthemainroad. The central, and widest, archway provided accesstoa sandstone, andmusthavecomprisedﬁve great arches. original basilica.Itisbuilt oflarge square blocks of some suggestion ofthescaleandelegance ofthe The Basilicaconsistsofarcaded ruinsthat give mosaic. a large patricianhousepreserving fragments of complete withbaths,tavernsandhouses,including south oftheDecumanoSuperiore (themainaxis), The InsulaRomanaarea comprisesthelarge block system alongthesecondarystreets. inclination ofthesitefacilitatedanefﬁ cient drainage by perpendicularcardini (cross streets). The natural wide decumani(mainthoroughfares) interconnected was laidoutonaregular gridsystem withthree protected thevulnerable partsofthetown,which by adoublebarrierofsquare stoneblocks. They the reign ofDionysius,laterreinforced andreplaced alongside sectionsofthedefensivewallsbuilt during The pathgoinguptothetopofCapo Tindari passes Figure 18-Pictureshowing theforeset geometriesoftheGhiaieeSabbie diMessinaFm. th century AD. th

slopes aswelltheIoniansideofPeloritani deposits. These areexposed along the Tyrrhenian basement, underlyingLateMiocenetoQuaternary of theMessinaStraitischaracterizedbyacrystalline Peloritani ridgeinfrontoftheIonianSea. The area The town isbuilt ontheeasternfl Messina. Stop 4.3: Stromboli areactive. with theIonianslab;amongthese Vulcano and seven islands,whichformavolcanic arcconnected embarcation pointfortheEolianIslands. These are rocks, withapicturesquefi olive trees,characterizedbyhigh-grademetamorphic Milazzo, asunny peninsula,verdant with age-old deposits, marineterracesand,ontheleft,Capo way it’s possible toobserve Tertiary andQuaternary The fi From Tindari toMessina. in Imperialtimesforstaging gladiatorfi ghts. facing theseaand Aeolian Islands.Itwasadapted natural lieoftheland,withcavea(auditorium) eld-trip goesontoreachMessina. Along the

semns village, shermen’s ank ofthe 24-05-2004, 16:11:38 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02 Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume

Figure 19 - Stratigraphic columns of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary covers exposed in the Taormina area.

(1) Capo S. Andrea Unit: m1 – Hercynian basement; a1 – Lower Lias to Cretaceous condensed sequence (“Verrucano”,

nodular limestones); b1 – Upper Cretaceous – Eocene “Scaglia” facies; m2 – crystalline basement of the Longi- Taormina Unit

(2) Longi-Taormina Unit: m2 – Hercynian basement; a2 – Lower Lias “Verrucano”, platform limestones and dolomites;

b2 – Ammonite-bearing marls and marly limestones (Medolo facies), “Rosso Ammonitico” and radiolarites (Middle

Lias-Malm); c2 – Lower Cretaceous to Eocene calcilutites and marls (Biancone and Scaglia facies); m3 - Hercynian metamorphites of the St. Marco Units; Co – Capo d’Orlando Flysch.

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini ( ridge, controlledbyaNNE-SSWorientedfault system e sabbiediMessina calcarenites andsandsgravels, known as Early Pliocene Trubi, Pliocene-Pleistocenesandsand Tortonian silicoclastics,someMessinianevaporites, scale). The sedimentarysequenceismadebyLate del settore nord-orientale deiMt.Peloritani distribution ofthe The maintectoniclinescontrolledtheaereal al., 2004). Pleistocene calcarenites(0,98-0,58ka)(Guarnieriet paleogeography oftheStraitstartsfromMiddle outcropping onbothsidesleadsustoconcludethatthe The stratigraphicalstudiescarriedoutonthedeposits Ka ago. 14 apply geological investigations inurbanareas. disasters represents atypicalexample ofneedingto the development ofthetown,forgetful ofthepast the modernsuburbs encroach uponthe rivers, and built toantiseismicrequirements. But,incontrast, a gracious andlively citywithlongandamplestreets town, withmodernMessinadatingback to1928.Itis 60,000 deaths. The citywasrebuilt ﬁ rst as ashanty razing 9/10ofittotheground, causingasmany notably twoearthquakes, in1783and1908,thelatter times, several natural catastrophes havehitthecity, certainly is Antonello daMessina.Inmore recent important artists,amongwhich themostimportant to provide adynamicandstimulatingenvironment for crossroads ofcultural andartisticalexchanges, able Mediterranean trade routes andrepresented a In thepast,Messinawasamajorstopin Messina mechanisms indepth. extensional faults connectedwithcompressional is responsiblefortheformationofENE-WSW & Carbone,2003;Guarnieri,2003). This new setting of thesubductionhingefromSEtoSSE(Guarnieri related toare-orientationofthedirectionretreat lineaments connectedwithadeepstructuralsetting The outlinedstructurescorrespondtothemain systems. onland, andclearlyshow thepresenceofactive fault off-shore geophysicaldataconﬁ the Straitfalling betweenGanzirriandScilla. The became active; thiscurrentlycontrolstheportionof the Ganzirri-ScillaFault System(ENE-WSWtrends) mainly alongaNNE-SSWdirection;subsequently, Geological mapnr. 7 00

Lunch Ghiaie eSabbiediMessina (Fig. 18),depositedabout200 : Cartageologica diMessinae rm thosecollected , 1:25,000 Ghiaie Fm., sequences areexposed (CapoSant’Alessio). Epimetamorphic Complex. Somesedimentary Unit, totheMandaniciUnitandreaching nappes toward thelowest, fromthe Aspromonte along theIoniancoast,fromhighestcrystalline From Messinato Taormina. low-grade metamorphicrocks(m carbonate sequence,thattectonicallyunderliesthe S.Andrea Unit,acondensedLiasuptoCretaceous From Capo Taormina ageneralview shows theCapo Capo Taormina andIsolaBella Stop 4.6: for travelers sincethe18 tourist attraction. Ithasbeenapopulardestination herit with thesuperbview ofEtna,andwithitshistorical of themildnessitsclimate, thenatural scenery of ByzantineSicilyuntilthe Arab conquests.Because Taormina, thepearlofIonianSea,wascapital Perched onarocky spuratabout200mheight, Taormina Krupps. and such famous familiesastheRothschilds andthe including Emperor William IIandKingEdward VII, and manyillustriousﬁ gures havesojournedthere, German, havedecidedtobuild villasinthetown, tourist resort. Manyforeigners, notably Britishand the lastdecadeshasitdeveloped intoawell-known Overnight in Taormina or seestratigraphiccolumningeologicalmapn°4). (“Biancone”), andredmarlsin“Scaglia”facies (Fig. is constitutedbywhitish-grey chertycalcilutites The Cretaceous-Eocenetoplevel ofthesequence indicate themaximumdepthofsedimentation. meters of“Rosso Ammonitico” anddiaspers,which Lias uptoMalminterval isrepresentedbyfew drowning duringEarly-MiddleLias. The Upper limestones (“Medolo”facies), indicatingageneral followed by Ammonites-bearing marlsandmarly Liassic carbonateplatform,partiallydolomitized, in “Verrucano Facies”, gradinguptoaLower level ismadeupofredconglomeratesandsands orogenesis. Fromthebottomtotopbasal low metamorphicrocks,relatedtotheHercynian of the Taormina Unit,unconformablylyingover the sea,wecanobserve theMesozoicsequence Walking fromCapo Taormina toward Giardinialong sequence (Fig.19). the Hercynian crystallinebasementofthe Taormina age, T aormina isaprivileged international th century, althoughonlyin The ﬁ . 2 ), whichrepresent eld tripgoeson 24-05-2004, 16:11:43

STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02 Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini Theater, which But itsmostfamousmonumentistheGreek Corvaja. medieval Cathedral andthe15 the northandPorta Cataniatothesouth,stand On themainstreet, endingwithPorta Messinato the correct applicationoftheClassicalorders; it the baserock. The Greek theatre conformedwith land. Someofthecavea’s stepsare cutdirectly from built insuch awayastoexploit thenatural lieofthe survives todaydatesfrom the2 It continuestobeusedatthepresent time. What then transformed andenlarged bytheRomans. Figure 20-DEMofMt.Etna(modiﬁ

was built bythe Ancient Greeks, nd century AD. Itwas th -century Palazzo ed afterFavalli etal.,1999)onwhich thestopsareindicated. the gloriouspanoramic view, spreading outbefore the visitors andspectators canabsorbthefullimpactof landscape. From thetopofcavea (auditorium), sky above are thepredominant colors in this idyllic which stilladorn thestage, theintenseblueof The red ofthebricks, thewhiteofmarblecolumns wild animals. added acorridortoprovide accessforgladiators and shape bettersuitedtohostingcircus games;they also orchestra intoanarena –circular, therefore –,a removed thelowertierofstepswhenconverting the for musicians,thechorus, anddancers. The Romans included asemi-circular orchestra sectionreserved 24-05-2004, 16:11:49 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 21 - DEM of the NE fl ank of Etna and of the Alcantara Valley (modifi ed after Favalli et al., 1999 and Branca, 2003), in which are evidenced the location of the eruptive fi ssures of the lava fl ows that have modifi ed the morphologic setting of the valley. majestic presence of Mount Etna. one km long, developing on lava and sand.. It is not very diffi cult, but for the altitude and the eventually- DAY 5 irritating breathing in of volcanic gas, the climb is not (2 September 2004) advisable for those who have problems in breathing. Subject: Quaternary Etnean volcanism and its role All participants need a cotton handkerchief, water in the geodynamic framework of eastern Sicily. and, of course, mountain boots. The entire stop will TAORMINA / ALCANTARA GORGE / MT. ETNA (summit craters and Valle del Bove) / CATANIA. The excursion focuses on showing some of the main features of the volcano (Alcantara gorge, NE-Rift, summit craters and Valle del Bove depression) and the eruptive vents of the 2002-03 eruption. The trip develops on fi ve stops, starting from the Alcantara gorge (fi rst stop), passing along the Alcantara Valley, and then crossing the Etna volcano from the NE fl ank to the southern one (Fig. 20) Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume Following the visit to the Alcantara gorge we’ll reach the area of Piano Provenzana at about 1800 m a.s.l. on the NE fl ank of the volcano. From this area we’ll go on by 4×4 van toward the NE-Rift (second stop) and the volcano summit craters (third stop). Here, we’ll stop at about 3050 m in altitude, where we’ll begin the climb to the Voragine and Bocca Nuova Figure 22 - Sketch map showing the area covered by the crater rims at 3250 and 3260 m a.s.l. The path is lava fl ows from Etna’s 2002 NE-Rift eruption. 1) eruptive fi ssure; 2) fault.

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini = NortheastCrater;SEC=SoutheastCrater. Etna volcano. VR = Voragine; BN=BoccaNuova; NEC Figure 23-Sketch mapshowing thesummitareaof Figure 24-Obliqueaerealviewofthesummitcratersfrom theeastin August 2001 (photobyINGV-Catania). drainage patternandtheerosionofEllittico processes leadingtotheentrenchmentof was followed byalongperiodoferosional fl 2003). Onlyonelava fl of theEllitticovolcano about45kaago(Branca, evolutionary phasesinitiatedduringtheactivity Alcantara Valley istheresultoftwo main The present-daymorphologicalsettingofthe Alcantara gorges. Stop 5.1: 13 the Etnasummitarea(above 2500mofaltitude). might occur, duetothevariable weatherconditionsat stop). Somelittlechangestothescheduledprogram the Belvedere area,atabout2760mofaltitude(fi an overview ofthe Valle delBove depressionfrom 2800 mofaltitude(fourthstop). The tripfi we’ll reachthe2002-03eruptive fi towards theuppersouthernfl last aboutonehour. Afterwards, we’ll continuebyvan oor occurredinthefi 00

Starting from Taormina rst phase. This phenomenon ow invasion ofthevalley ank ofthevolcano where ssure, atabout nishes with 24-05-2004, 16:11:54 fth STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 25 - Aerial view from north of the summit craters and the eruptive column produced by the 2750 m vent along the S fi ssure on 2nd November (Photo by S. Branca). lava fl ow. About 20-25 ka ago, an important for about 3 km offshore (Fig. 21). The erosion and change in the frequency of the lava fl ow invasions the entrenchment of the water course formed the into the valley occurred associated with the fi nal attractive Alcantara gorges, where the internal stage of the Ellittico volcano activity marking structure of the lava fl ow is well exposed and an the beginning of the second phase. During this impressive columnar jointing generated during the phase, volcanic processes predomited over other lava cooling can be observed. morphogenetic processes in the Alcantara Valley. A fl ight of stairs takes you to the river bed and it is Lava fl ows coming from the NE fl ank of the possible to enter the gorges, as well as take a swim Ellittico volcano caused a radical modifi cation were the water is deepest (up to 1 m). of the morphological setting of this area, even though only one lava fl ow emitted by an eruptive Stop 5.2: fi ssure located within the valley partially fi lled the NE-Rift. riverbed. During the eruptive activity of the last 15 The NE-Rift is one of the main intrusion zones of ka the complete fi lling of the Alcantara Valley fl oor the Etna volcano (McGuire and Pullen, 1989). It DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume occurred. In particular, between 15 and 7 ka, a lava consists of a network of sub-parallel eruptive fi ssures, fl ow originating from the Mt. Moio scoria cone striking from 42°E to 47°E, and with dispersion axes fi lled the valley fl oor for a distance of about 9 km. ranging from 15°E to 62°E. These fi ssures cluster in Following a short period of erosion, an eruptive a restricted area about 2 km wide and extend from fi ssure located within the valley generated a 20-21 2500 m down to 1700 m a.s.l.. They consist of spatter km-long lava fl ow that was channelled along the ramparts and scoria cones related to the eruptive full extent of the Alcantara Valley, forming the activity of the last 15 ka (Branca et al., 2003). In the Capo Schisò along the Ionian coast, and stretching upper part of the volcano this fi ssure system strikes

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini about 3.5kmupto1900ma.s.l,islocated.(Fig.22) eruption (Andronicoetal.,2003),whichextends for At about2500mtheeruptive fi al., 1998;Groppelliand Tibaldi, 1999). that dissectsthenorth-easternfl segments ofanear continuousleft-lateralshearzone area, bya200m-highfault scarp,oneofthediscrete Rift isdelimitedeastward, inthePianoProvenzana and pitcratersalongtheeruptive fi tectonic evidenced bythepresenceofbothdryfi The NE-Riftisaffected byastrongextensional (NEC). lava fl N andisalmostcompletelycovered by thehistoric southern fl Figure 26-Sketch mapshowing theareacovered bythelavafl ows originatedfromEtna’s North-EastCrater ank ofEtna. ank ofEtna(Azzaroet ssure ofthe2002 ssures. The NE- The ssures. ssures forest. in thePianoProvenzana areaandpartsofthepine fi of lava wereemitted,forminga6.2kmlonglava fl During thiseruptionabout10millionsofcubicmeters m) isformedbyaseriesofcoalescentscoriacones. exposed. The lower segment ofthefi craters inwhichthevolcanic successionoftheriftis m) isformedbyspatterrampartsandaseriesofpit The upperportionoftheeruptive fi Above 2900ma.s.l.risesthesummitconeofEtna Summit Craters. Stop 5.3: ows generated bythe2002-03eruptive vent inthe eld thatdestroyed theskistationandtouristfacilities ssure (2500-2030 ssure ssure (2030-1900 24-05-2004, 16:12:01 ow ow STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND VOLCANICS ACROSS THE APENNINIC - MAGHREBIAN OROGEN IN SICILY P02

Figure 27 - Morphological reconstruction both of the Ellittico volcano and of the volcanoes located in the area of the southwestern wall of the Valle del Bove (Coltelli et al., 1994).

(Figs. 23 and 24). It rests on a fl at area formed by shape during the 1989-90 subterminal activity. the fi lling up of two almost concentric calderas. The In 1999 lava fl ows, produced by three eruptive smaller and younger one is the “Cratere del Piano”, fi ssures opened at the base of the SEC, formed a created by the 122 BC plinian eruption (Coltelli wide lava fl ow fi eld directedsoutheastward in VdB. et al., 1998), while the larger and older one is the 65 fi re fountain episodes occured at SEC in 2000, “Cratere Ellittico”, made during the fi nal activity of producing lapilli and ash fall along the eastern fl ank the Ellittico volcano, about 15.000 yrs BP (Coltelli et of Etna. The large crater (Central Crater) located in al., 2000). the upper part of the summit cone, about one km The summit cone, as visible today, was rebuilt in diameter, was completely fi lled by lava during after the last largest Etna eruption, in 1669, which 1956; after that and till 1960, a strong explosive partially destroyed the previous one. During activity, alternated with collapses, reopened the Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume XVIII and XIX century an almost continuous vent now named “Voragine (Chasm)” (VOR). It strombolian activity produced a perfect conical is a spectacular, funnel-shape crater where we structure that in this century was deeply modifi ed can observe, if the steam allows us, two degassing by the growth of two parasitic cones. The “North- vents. East Crater” (NEC) has beem built since 1911 on On the southern side of the old surface topping the homonymous fl ank of the summit cone; the the summit cone, another important vent opened younger cone the “South-East Crater” (SEC) was as a pit in 1968, with a diameter of about 4 m; it born as a depression in 1971, and took the actual was enlarged by numerous collapsing episodes

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini Strombolian activity. this eruptiontheBNwas characterisedbyanintense overfl forming alava fl the VOR. In1999aneruptionoccurredatBN, a vent locatedbelow theseptumthatdivides itby and onlyminorcollapsesdegassing occurfrom the large 1991-93eruption,thecraterisdormant, strong, throwing large bombsoutoftherim. After strombolian activity thatsometimebecomevery it hasgenerallysomevents onthebottomwith this craterbecamethemostactive ofthevolcano; “Bocca Nuova (New Vent)”. Startinginthe70s by-250 mwideand100-m-deeppitcraternamed in thefollowing two decades. Today, itisa300- Stop 5.5: fi On 27October2002aN-S1km-longeruptive 2002-03 eruptive vent. Stop 5.4: overview ofthewhole Valle delBove, thesouthern weather conditionsaregood,wecanenjoy abeautiful rim ofthe Valle delBove. Fromthisscenicpoint,if toward thevolcano’s summit,wearrive atthewestern Taking ashortdeviation fromtheroadclimbing Valle delBove. on 16December. 1900 ma.s.l.whereaphreaticburst injured59people and arestaurantintheRifugioSapienzaarea,atabout Lava fl fi Discontinuous effusive activity formedalava fl airports, anddamagetothecrops. prolonged closureoftheCataniaandReggio Calabria to theeconomyofeasternSicilybecause shelter. The persistentash fall causedextensive loss of elevation, whichcovered the Torre delFilosofo along theN-Seruptive fi Proximal depositformedtwo coalescentscoriacones the westerncoastofGreeceandLibya. and reachedtheCalabriaCampaniaregions, two days(28-29October). Ash fellineasternSicily fl occurred inalldirections,andmainlytheeastern column 1-4kmhigh.Duringthisperiodashfall (Fig. 25). This explosive activity formedaneruptive fi and continuousfi Filosofo shelter(Andronicoetal.,2003). An intense volcano (2850-2600ma.s.l.),closetothe Torre del ssure openedonthehighsouthernfl eld southandsouthwestward 4.2kmlong(Fig.26) ank ofEtna.2.5kg/m2ashfellinCatania ssure from27OctobertotheendofDecember ows fromthewesternrimofcrater. During ow cuttheS.P. 92roadanddestroyed afacility re fountainactivity occurredatthis o fi ow eld producedbyaseriesof ssure, at2750and2800m ank ofthe ow ow destinations. with departureon3September2004forindividual during theevening, orovernight stayinCatania END OFEXCURSION.DeparturefromCatania the summitcone. fracture systemoriginatingfromtheeasternfl and 2200ma.s.l.Itisthelowest endofalonger eruption occurredbelow thestopsite,between2400 and piledup. The main eruptive fi where mostofthehistoricallava fl 27). The Valle delBove depressionisthefavorite area ka) cropsout(seeRegional geologicsetting)(Fig. to theeruptive activity oftheEllitticovolcano (60-15 of thevalley acomplex volcanic successionrelated (120-60 ka).Onthecontrary, alongthenorthernwall Salifi successions belongingtothe Trifoglietto, Giannicola, “Chiancone”. Onthesouthwesternwall, thevolcanic a widefan-shape detritic-alluvialbody, locallynamed eastward ofthe VdB areaanduptothecoast,forming with thiscollapsephenomenonoutcropimmediately et al,2003). The volcaniclastic depositsassociated fl the Valle delBove isrelatedtoacatastrophiceastern while thesouthernwall is W-shaped. The originof the northernandwesternwall arefairly straight, km widedepression,strikingESEfromthesummit. fl bottom ofwhichiscovered bythehuge1991-93lava Mem. Soc.Geol.It nogenico-quaternaria nelMediterraneocentrale domini strutturalioriginatisidallacollisione Lentini, F. Torelli, L. Tortorici, L.(1990). Ben-Avraham, Z.Boccaletti,M.Cello,G.Grasso, M. J.Vulcanol. Geotherm. Res (Mt. Etna)fromstructuralandsoil-gassurveying. the formandextend ofthePernicanaFault System S., Rasà,R., Valenza, M.(1998).New evidence for Azzaro, R.,Branca,S.,Giammanco,Gurrieri, Bull. Volcanol insights foracomplex plumbingsystem.Submittedto multi-disciplinary studyofthe2002-03Etnaeruption: Pompilio, M.Salerno,G.Spampinato,L.(2003). A Lodato, L.Miraglia,Muré,F. Neri,M.Pecora,E. Caltabiano, T. Corsaro,R.A.DelCarlo,P. Garfì,G. Andronico, D.,BrancaS.,Calvari S.,BurtonM.R., References cited Stefano fortheirfruitfulcommentsandsuggestions. The authorsareindebtedtoS.Carbone,and A. Di Acknowledgements ank collapsewhichoccurredabout9kaago(Calvari fi ow zioandCuvigghiunieruptive centresarevisible eld. The Valle delBove isa7kmlongand4 . . 45,453-462. ., 84,143-152. ssure of1991-93 ow hasstreamed

Principali 24-05-2004, 16:12:05 ank of ank .

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Bianchi, F. Carbone, S. Grasso, M. Invernizzi, G. Tyrrhenian): comparison between land and marine Lentini, F. Longaretti, G. Merlini, S. and Mostardini, data. Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 55: 27-33. F. (1987). Sicilia orientale: profi lo geologico Nebrodi- Del Carlo, P., Vezzoli, L. and Coltelli, M. (2003). Iblei. Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 38: 429-458. Last 100 ka tephrostratigraphic record of Mount Branca, S. (2003). Geological and geomorphologic Etna. In: Etna Volcano Laboratory, Geophys. evolution of the Etna volcano NE fl ank and Monogr. Ser., edited by Calvari S., Bonaccorso A., relationships between lava fl ow invasions and Coltelli M., Del Negro C., Falsaperla S., AGU, in erosional processes in the Alcantara Valley (Italy). press. Geomorphology, 53, 247-261. Di Stefano, A., and Branca, S. (2002). Long-term Branca, S. and Del Carlo, P. (2003). Eruptions of Mt uplift rate of the Etna volcano basement (Southern Etna during the past 3,200 Years: a revised compilation Italy) from biochronological data of the Pleistocene integrating the historical and stratigraphic records. In: sediments. Terra Nova, 14, 61-68. Etna Volcano Laboratory, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., Favalli, M., Innocenti, F., Pareschi, M.T., Pasquarè, edited by Calvari S., Bonaccorso A., Coltelli M., Del G., Mazzarini, F., Branca, S., Cavarra, L., Tibaldi, Negro C., Falsaperla S., AGU, in press. A. (1999). The DEM of Mt. Etna: geomorphological Branca, S., Coltelli M. and Groppelli, G. (2003). and structural implications. Geodin. Acta, 12, 5, Geological evolution of Etna volcano. In: Etna 279-290. Volcano Laboratory, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., edited Finetti, I. Lentini, F. Carbone, S. Catalano, S. and Del by Calvari S., Bonaccorso A., Coltelli M., Del Negro Ben, A. (1996) Il sistema Appennino Meridionale- C., Falsaperla S., AGU, in press Arco Calabro -Sicilia nel Mediterraneo Centrale: Calvari, S. and Groppelli, G. (1996). Relevance of the studio geologico-geofi sico. Mem. Soc. Geol. It., 115: Chiancone volcanoclastic deposit in the recent history 529-559. of Etna Volcano (Italy). J. Volcanol. Getherm. Res., Giunta, G. Nigro, F. Renda, P. and Giorgianni, A. 71, 239-258. (2000) The Sicilian-Maghrebides Tyrrhenian Margin: Calvari, S., Tanner, L.H., and Groppelli, G. (1998). a neotectonic evolutionary model. Boll. Soc. Geol. It., Debris-avalanche deposits of the Milo Lahar vol. 119, 553-565. sequence and the opening of the Valle del Bove on Guarnieri, P. and Carbone, S. (2003) Assetto Etna volcano (Italy). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., geologico e lineamenti morfostrutturali dei bacini 87, 193-209. Plio-quaternari del Tirreno meridionale. Boll. Soc. Calvari, S., Tanner, L.H., Groppelli, G., and Norini, Geol. It., 112. G. (2003). A comprehensive model for the opening of Guarnieri, P. (2003) Plio-Quaternary segmentation the Valle del Bove depression and hazard evaluation of the South Tyrrhenian Forearc basin. Submitted to for the eastern fl ank of Etna volcano. In: Etna Canadian Journal of Earth Science. Volcano Laboratory, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., edited Guarnieri, P. Lentini, F. Carbone, S. Del Ben, A. Di by Calvari S., Bonaccorso A., Coltelli M., Del Negro Stefano, A. (2004) Structural features of the Messina C., Falsaperla S., AGU, in press. Strait (with Geological map 1:25000 scale). Atlante Carbone, S. Grasso, M. and Lentini, F. (1984). Carta Geologico d’Italia. geologica della Sicilia sud-orientale. Scala 1:100.000, Groppelli, G., Tibaldi, A. (1999). Control of rock S.EL.CA., Firenze. reology on deformation style and slip-rate along the Coltelli, M., Garduno, V.H., Neri, M., Pasquarè, G., active Pernicana Fault, Mt. Etna, Italy. Tectonophysics, Pompilio, M. (1994). Geology of the northern wall of 305, 521-537. the Valle del Bove, Mt Etna (Sicily). Acta Vulcanol., Lentini, F. Carbone, S. Catalano, S. Grasso, M. 5, 55-68. (1996). Elementi per la ricostruzione del quadro

Coltelli, M., Del Carlo, P., and Vezzoli, L. (1998). The strutturale della Sicilia orientale. Mem. Soc. Geol. It., DO1 to P13 n° 3 - from Volume discovery of a Plinian basaltic eruption of Roman age 51, 179-195. at Etna volcano, Italy. Geology, 26, 1095-1098. Lentini, F. (1974) Caratteri stratigraﬁ ci e strutturali Coltelli, M., Del Carlo, P., and Vezzoli, L. (2000). del gruppo del M. Judica (Sicilia centro-orientale). Stratigraphic constrains for explosive activity in Riv. Min. Sic., Anno XXV, nn. 145-147, 1-22, the last 100 ka at Etna volcano. Italy. Inter. J. Earth Palermo. Sciences, 89, 665-677. Lentini, F., Carbone, S., Catalano, S. 1994. Main Del Ben, A. and Guarnieri, P. (2000) Neogene structural domains of the central Mediterranean Transpression in the Cefalù Basin (Southern region and their Neogene tectonic evolution. Boll.

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Volume n° 3 - from DO1 to P13 P02 - P02 Leader: F. Lentini tectonic stressregimes. Mount Etna:inﬂ orientation oferuptive ﬁ McGuire, W.J., Pullen, A.D. (1989).Locationand Geodynamics reconstructing thegeologicalevolution. the Lucanian Apennines (SouthernItaly): Tools for P. (2002)Stratigraphicalandstructuralconstraintsin Lentini, F. Carbone,S.DiStefano, A. andGuarnieri, - Firenze. di LentiniF., CarboneS.eCatalanoS.,Ed.SELCA di Messina,scala1:50.000eNotaIllustrativa, acura Lentini, F. (2000)-CartaGeologicadellaProvincia 319-329. nord-orientale 1995. PrincipalilineamentistrutturalidellaSicilia Lentini, F., Carbone,S.,Catalano,Grasso,M. Geof. Teor.e Appl , 34(1):143-160. . StudiGeol.Camerti, uence ofgravitational andregional . 36,103-125. J. Volcanol. Geotherm.Res., ssures andfeeder-dikes at vol. speciale2, Journal of

Geol. Rundsch. level changes,paleoenvironment, andvolcanism. Mountains, Sicily:uplift,Pliocene/Pleistocenesea- S. (1997)Evolution of thenorthwesternIblean Schmincke, H.U.Behncke, B.Grasso,M.Rafﬁ 27-48. activity intheetneanarea. Romano, R.(1982).Successionofthevolcanic Geol. It northern HybleanMountains(SESicily). temperate carbonatesandtheirdistribution aroundthe sedimentology andpalaeoenvironment ofQuaternary Di Stefano, A. Giuffrida, S.Sturiale,G.(2001) The Pedley, H.M.Grasso,M.Maniscalco,R.Behncke, B. 11, 183-212. geologico dellaSicilianord-orientale. Ogniben, L.1960. 38, 352-344. . 121:233-255 86:637-669.

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