Author(s)

Marcello Viti¹, Enzo Mantovani¹, Daniele Babbucci¹, Caterina Tamburelli¹, Nicola Cenni²

¹Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy.
²Dipartimento di Fisica ed Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

It is argued that the complex tectonic pattern observed in the study area can plausibly be explained as an effect of the kinematics of the Iberia and Adria blocks, induced by the NNE ward motion of Africa and the roughly westward motion of the Anatolian-Aegean system with respect to Eurasia. These boundary conditions cause the constrictional regime which is responsible for the observed shortening processes in the Padanian region and Western Alps. The proposed dynamic context can plausibly account for the peculiar distribution of major seismic sources, located in the northern Apennines, the Giudicarie fault system, the offshore of the western Ligurian coast and the Swiss Alps. The observed tectonic pattern in Western Europe and the study area can hardly be reconciled with the implications of the roughly NWward convergence between Africa and Eurasia proposed by global kinematic models, whereas it is compatible with the alternative Africa-Eurasia kinematics and plate mosaic proposed by [1].

Seismotectonics, Geodynamics, GPS, Mediterranean, Padanian

Viti, M. , Mantovani, E. , Babbucci, D. , Tamburelli, C. and Cenni, N. (2016) Seismotectonics of the Padanian Region and Surrounding Belts: Which Driving Mechanism?. International Journal of Geosciences, 7, 1412-1451. doi: 10.4236/ijg.2016.712100.