New insight on the sedimentary record related to the late-Quaternary tectonics of the western segment of the “Livorno-Sillaro” (Northern Tuscany, Italy).

The “Livorno-Sillaro” line represents one of the most important transversal structure of the inner Northern Apennines.  It has been described in the literature as a major strike-slip fault (e.g., Bortolotti, 1966; Carmignani et al., 1994; Pascucci, 2005; Pascucci et al., 2007), and it is divided into two segments, eastern and western. 

A stratigraphic-sequence frame for the late-Quaternary deposits has been developed by using the different facies associations defined through a large subsurface database analysis. Moreover, a correlation has been done between subsoil deposits and the outcropping sediments on the hilly areas (Livorno, Pisa and Cerbaie hills) surrounding the Arno valley.

Additionally, a morphotectonic analysis of the hydrographic networks and relief distribution has been done the Lidar data (DTM), supplied by the Tuscany Region, at the 2 m and 10 m of resolution. Specifically, the river system is particularly sensitive to deformation processes. The fluvial streams are in fact characterized by low geomorphological inertia and, therefore, by response times of a few hundred thousand years to the tectonic processes in progress.

As a result of the integrated multidisciplinary analysis, it was possible to highlight a tectonic activity in the middle Pleistocene -Holocene interval of the western portion of the "Livorno-Sillaro" lineament neglected in the geological literature until now.

References

Bortolotti V. (1966) – La tettonica trasversale dell’Appennino – La linea Livorno-Sillaro. Bollettino della Società Geologica Italiana, Vol.85, pp. 529-540, 3 ff., 1 tav.

Carmignani L., Decandia F.A., Fantozzi P.L., Lazzarotto A., Liotta D. & Meccheri M. (1994) – Tertiary extensional tectonics in Tuscany (Northern Apennines, Italy). Tectonophysics. Vol. 238, pp. 295-315.

Pascucci V. (2005) – Neogene evolution of the Viareggio Basin, Northern Tuscany (Italy). GeoActa. Vol. 4, pp. 123-128.

Pascucci V., Martini I.P., Sagri M. & Sandrelli F. (2007) – Effects of transverse structural lineaments on the Neogene-Quaternary basins of Tuscany (inner Northern Apennines, Italy). Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Basins: A Tribute to Peter Friend.