Mantle wedge dynamics versus crustal seismicity in the Apennines (Italy)

Abstract

In the Apennines subduction (Italy), earthquakes mainly occur within the overriding plate, along the chain axis. The events concentrate in the upper 15 km of the crust above the mantle wedge, and focal solutions indicate normal faulting. In the foreland, the seismogenic volume affects the upper 35 km of the crust. Focal solutions indicate prevailing reverse faulting in the northern foreland and strike-slip faulting in the southern one. The deepening of the seismogenic volume from the chain axis to the foreland follows the deepening of the Moho and isotherms. The seismicity above the mantle wedge is associated with uplift of the chain axial zone, volcanism, high CO2 flux, and extension. The upward pushing of the asthenospheric mantle and the mantle-derived, CO2-rich fluids trapped within the crust below the chain axis causes this seismicity. All these features indicate that the axial zone of Apennines is affected by early rifting processes. In northern Italy, the widespread and deeper seismicity in the foreland reflects active accretion processes. In the southern foreland, the observed dextral strike-slip faulting and the lack of reverse focal solutions suggest that accretion processes are not active at present. In our interpretation of the Apennines subduction, the shallower seismicity of the overriding plate is due to the dynamics (uprising and eastward migration) of the asthenospheric wedge. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.