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1. Introduction Fruitful interdisciplinary discussions are expected
between field trip participants on formation
Sicily sits astride the African-European plate mechanisms, dating and tectonics. Fieldtrip is
boundary and much of the eastern coastline is shown on the number 248, 249, 250, 251, 252,
defined by a major fault system juxtaposing

continental and oceanic-affinity crust. This 253, 254, 255, 256, 262, 270 of the Italian
complex tectonic setting, the subject of recent geological maps.
plate-tectonic modelling studies, also involves
Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. 2. Regional geologic setting
Several coastal sites, particularly on the Eastern
(high uplift) and Northern coastline (quasi still- 2.1. NW Area
stand), display well-preserved sequences of The NW sector of Sicily (with the Egadi Archipe-
marine terraces, most notably including those lago) represent the emerged western edge of the
assigned to the MIS 5.5 higstand (named also Sicilian–Maghrebid Chain, which originated from
Tyrrhenian in Mediterranean sea) primarily on
the basis of the distinctive Strombus bubonious the deformation of the Meso-Cenozoic Northern
warm-water fossil mollusc and now at elevations African continental margin. The geological
up to about 150 m. Newly published work by the setting of the area (Fig. 1) is characterized by the
leaders of the trip has extended the tectonic overthrusting of tectonic units referable to the
record into the Holocene by using uplifted and
laterally extensive marine notch features formed 1
at sea level; the carbonate bedrock and microtidal
environment of the Mediterranean allowing
unusually high precision.
Goal of this field trip in Sicily is to visit two
coastal area in tectonically very different zone,
the NW coast with few vertical movement (but
showing horizontal movement due to strike slip
faults) and the NE coastal area that show very
active uplift up to Pleistocene with Holocene
acceleration.