Seismicity of the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

Seismicity and focal mechanism of earthquakes in the Mediterranean Basin show the characteristics of the interaction present today along the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. This boundary is of a complex nature, and its dynamics are the consequence of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and the closing of the Mediterranean Sea. Main tectonic features are of compressive character, with only very localized zones undergoing horizontal tension. The oceanic crust of the Mediterranean Basin is divided into two parts by the Italian peninsula, with the western part belonging to the Eurasian plate and the eastern to the African plate.