Crustal structure of the Aeolian islands (southern Italy) using 40 years of seismicity

The origin of the Aeolian Islands (southern Tyrrhenian Sea), is associated with the subduction process occurring between the African and European plates and resulting in a back-arc basin that hosts the ongoing volcanism. The crustal tectonic setting in this region is quite complex, with strike-slip, compressive, and extensional regimes coexisting within a few dozen kilometers, giving rise to significant active volcanic systems such as Mount Etna to the south, Vulcano Panaera and Stromboli to the north.

In this study, we focus on the moderate and low- magnitude seismicity recorded over the last 40 years in the region to image the crustal structure of the southern Tyrrhenian using the Enhanced Seismic Tomography workflow.

To enhance the reliability and resolution of the tomographic models, a thorough manual revision of most recent seismicity was performed, and data from DSS and wide-angle seismic experiments conducted in the early 1980s were incorporated.  Results demonstrate that we can now finely resolve P-wave and S-wave seismic velocities, enabling us to describe subsurface geometries with unprecedented detail. This breakthrough provides new insights into the tectonic processes, offering new clues to solving this complex geological puzzle.

 

This study is funded by the INGV Pianeta Dinamico project 2023-2025 CAVEAT (grant no. CUP D53J19000170001) supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research “Fondo finalizzato al rilancio degli investimenti delle amministrazioni centrali dello Stato e allo sviluppo del Paese”, legge 145/2018 and supported by the collaboration UNAM-INGV on the study of volcanic and geothermal systems.